as any that they could heare yet could they receive no comfort or benefit at all by it Moses spake so saith the text Exod. 6. 9. unto the children of Israel but they hearkned not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruell bondage 3. Admit we were never so able and fit to minde this matter then and to go about this weighty businesse admit we could be then more apt to seeke reconciliation with God than at any other time yet have we just cause to feare that because we have wilfully neglected this worke so long and presumptuously put it off till the last houre the Lord in his righteous judgement will refuse to be found of us at that time Thus we shall find the Lord hath threatned to do Prov. 1. 24 26 28 29. Because I have called saith he and ye refused I have stretched out mine hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity I will mocke when your feare commeth Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not find me for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lord. Now if you shall aske me how may this be done I answer That he that would make this sure to himselfe that when he dies he shall go to heaven must do these three things 1. He must repent of all his knowne sinnes He must call them to mind bewaile them unfainedly confesse them to God and crave earnestly of him the pardon of them and resolve with himselfe to forsake them all For 1. Sinne is the sâ—ing of death as the Apostle cals it 1 Cor. 15. 56. And if that be once done away and forsaken death can never hurt a man nor hath he any cause to feare it at all 2. On the other side no man can hope to go to heaven with his sinnes unrepented of Know ye not saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 9. that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God Be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor theeves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God Any one of these sinnes unrepented of will certainly exclude a man utterly out of the kingdome of heaven 3. Though it be dangerous for a man to live in sinne yet is it a matter of farre greater danger to him to die in sinne and to be over-taken by death before he have repented of it This our Saviour noteth as the extreme unhappinesse of the wicked Iewes and repeats it often Iohn 8. 21. 24. that they should die in their sinnes 2. Get good assurance by a lively faith that Christ is thine and then shalt thou be able to die in peace and in a certaine hope to go to heaven when thou art dead When old Simeon had seene Christ whom he had waited for by faith and longed to see and was thereby confirmed much in that faith he had in him before He blessed God anâ— said Luke 2. 28 29 30. Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation They that have once seene and embraced Christ as he did spiritually by faith I meane and not corporally onely shall die in peace and none but they can do so For 1. It is Christ onely that hath overcome death for us and taken away the sting of it When the Apostle had said 1 Cor. 15. 56. that sin is the sting of death But thanks be to God saith he Verse 57. which giveth us victory through our Lord Iesus Christ. Death is overcome so that it cannot hurt the true believer at all but him that is nor in Christ it will sting unto death even unto the second death 2. We can have no hope to come to heaven but onely through him Christ is in you saith the Apostle Col. 1. 27. the hope of glory There is no hope to come to glory but onely by Christ. Nay there is no hope to come to glory through him unlesse he be in us unlesse he dwell in us by a lively faith 3. If thou wouldst be sure to go to heaven when thou diest labour whilest thou livest to lead an unblameable a godly and fruitfull life even to do all the good that God gives thee power and opportunity to do As we have opportunity saith the Apostle Gal. 6. 10. which none of us can tell how soone it may be taken from us let us do good unto all men especially unto them that are of the houshold of faith See what comfort Hezechia found in this when he was to die Remember now O Lord I beseech thee saith he Esa. 38. 3. how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart have done that which is good in thy sight Now on his death-bed his conscience gave this comfortaâ—â—e testimony unto him that he had lead a holy life and now doth he even before the Lord comfort himselfe in that against the feare of death See also what a testimony the holy Apostle gives unto good workes even to the workes of charity and mercy in this case Charge them that are 〈◊〉 in this world saith he 1 Tim. 6. 17 19. that they 〈◊〉 good that they be rich in good workes ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternall life Workes of charity not as a meritorious cause of salvation but as a sure evidence that by a lively faith we have interest and title to the merits of Christ shal be rewarded with stable and durable riches in time to come and will make a man able with confidence of hope to lay hold on eternall life And that which the Apostle saith of certaine bad men 2 Cor. 11. 15. that their end shal be according to their workes may be said of all good men also their end shal be according to their workes A good life will certainly end in a blessed and comfortable death Foure things are wont to be objected against this which I will briefly give answer unto Experience sheweth daily that many do die willingly and quietly and comfortably also that have neither lived so unblameably and fruitfully nor used any such means to prepare themselves for death as you have prescribed To this I answer 1. That we may not thinke that every one that dies quietly and speakes gloriously of his willingnesse to die and of the peace and comfort that he finds in the assurance of his salvation doth die happily and comfortably indeed For the Holy Ghost speaks of some that were most wâ—cked and wretched men that have no bands in their death Psal. 73. 4. In outward things all things aswell in death as in life fall alike to good and bad as Salomon saith Eccles. 9. 2. 2. We have just cause to suspect the peace
plague nor make right use of it unlesse every one of us enter into his owne heart aâ—d say what have I done To this end it wil be profitable for us to search the Scriptures and find out what were the speciall sinnes which either have brought the pestilence upon GODS people in former times or which the LORD hath threatned to punish in this manner and with this judgement For the first I find five great plagues of pestilence recorded in the holy Scriptures and the speciall sinnes that were the causes of them are also plainly set downe The first great plague we read of was that which is spoken of Numb 11. 33. The wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague And what was the cause of that plague Surely their murmuring and discontentment at their present condition their unthankfulnesse to the LORD who had brought them out of the land of Egypt Vers. 20. their loathing of Manna Verse 6. which the Prophet for the excellency thereof calleth Angles food Psal. 78. 25. and the corne and bread of heaven Psal. 78. 24. 105. 40. their lusting after the flesh-pots of Egypt and longing to be there againe Numb 11. 45. Exod. 16. 3. Secondly Another we find mentioned Numb 14. where although the LORD was stayed by the prayer of Moses from smiting the whole congregation with the pestilence and from dis-inheriting them as He threatned to do Vers. 6. yet often of those men that were sent to search out the Land it is said Vers. 37. that they died of the plague before the LORD And the cause of this is said to be Verse 36 37. that they did bring up a slander and evil report upon the promised Land and thereby made all the congregation to murmure against Moses who had spoken so much good of it Thirdly Another great plague Moses hath set downe the story of Numb 16. 49. wherein there died foureteene thousand and seven hundred and yet then so soone as wrath was gone out from the LORD so soone as the plague was begun as we read Vers. 46 48. Aaron the true â—ype of our onely High Priest and effectuall Intercessour for us unto GOD went with his incense and stood betweene the dead and the living and made an attonement for the people and so the plague was stayed How fearefull a pestilence would that have beene if it had continued any time if it had not been presently stayed And the sin that provoked GOD to send this pestilence among His people we find to have been their murmuring and rebelling against Moses and Aaron the Ministers and servants of the LORD as it is plain by the 41 and 42 Verses of that Chapter Fourthly The fourth memorable pestilence that we read of is that which is recorded Num. 25. of which there fell in one day as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 10. 8. three and twenty thousand Moses in setting down that story saith Numb 25. 9. those that died in the plague were twenty and foure thousand putting all together in that summe that perished at that time and for that sinne as well those whom himselfe and the judges had put to death according to the commandment of GOD Vers. 4 5. which may seeme to have beene in number about a thousand as those that perished by that plague which the LORD in His fierce anger as it is said Vers. 4. did send amongst them which were the three and twenty thousand that the Apostle speaketh of For that most of them that then perished died of an extraordinary pestilence and not all by the sword of the Magistrate as some learned men judge may appeare by that which the HOLY GHOST speaketh of it in other places as Numb 31. 16. There was a plague among the Congregation of the LORD and Iosh. 22. 17. where the very same words are used by Phinehas who had a chiefe hand in the staying of it and Psal. 106. 29 30. The plague brake in upon them then stood up Phinehas and executed judgement and so the plague was stayed And what was the cause of this strange and fearefull pestilence that consumed in one day three and twenty thousand Surely it was whoredome as both Moses Numb 25. 1 6. and the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 8. do expresly teach us Fiftly the fift and last plague we read of in holy Scripture was in Davids time the story whereof is set downe 2 Sam. 24. 15. this went thorough all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba in three dayes and consumed in so short a time no lesse than seventy thousand men And the cause of this plague was the pride of Davids heart and the confidence he reposed in his owne strength and in the outward meanes he had to defend himselfe by and to provide for his owne safety And besides these five great plagues I find also mention made of another dangerous and strange sicknesse wherewithall the LORD in his just judgement did smite and afflict his people in the Church of Corinth which though I cannot certainly say it was the pestilence because the text doth not expresly say so yet I may boldly say it was an epidemicall disease and grievous mortality most likely to be it Many are weake and sicke among you saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 30. and many sleepe that is die of it And the cause of this sicknesse and mortality the Apostle tels us was this that they came carelesly unreverently and without due preparation unto the holy Sacrament Thus you see what sinnes have brought the plague upon men in former times yea upon such as have beene GODS people by profession aswell as we And This happened unto them for ensample as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 10. 11. and all the seen samples are written and recorded in Scripture of purpose for our admonition And although we read of no plagues that are recorded in the holy Scriptures but those that I have mentioned and for those sinnes yet find we diverse other sinnes also which GOD hath threatned to punish this way GODS people were afraid that He would fall upon them and consume them with the pestilence as we read Exod. 5. 3. even for their negligence of His solemne worship and service though they were then in Egypt where they could not performe it without extreme danger And because Pharaoh had despised and hardened his heart against former and smaller judgements the LORD threatneth Exod. 9. 15. to smite him and his people with the pestilence To conclude the LORD did by His Prophet Ieremiah 21. 5 6. threaten in anger and fury and in great wrath to smite the inhabitants of Ierusalem both man and beast and that they should die of a very great pestilence because they stood out in rebellion against the King of Babylon and refused to yeeld unto him as GOD had commanded them whereby it appeareth that an obstinate refusing to obey the Word and commandment of GOD in any thing though it
you complaine or have just cause to complaine you thrive not in any saving grace you are like Pharaohs kine though you live in never so good pasture yet are you still as ill favoured and leane as ever you were Gen. 41. 19. 21. 2. Many of you are extreamely ignorant and unsetled in your religion unstable soules as the Apostle speakes 2 Pet. 3. 16. 3. Many of you complaine you cannot overcome nor get power over any corruption you cry with the Apostle though not with that successe that hee did Rom. 7. 15. That which I doe I allow not for what I would that I doe not but what I hate that doe I. Learne to know the true cause of all this you were never yet rightly humbled for sinne If thou couldst be humbled and learne to mourne for thy sinne God would give thee more grace Thirdly The Lord hath promised his speciall protection assistance and mercy in the evill day the day of his wrath and judgements unto such as are rightly humbled and can mourne for their sinnes Psal. 18. 27. Thou wilt save the afflicted people and 34. 18. He saveth such as be of a contrite spirit Iob 22. 29. When men are cast downe then thou shalt say there is a lifting up he shall save the humble person And this promise God hath been wont to make good one of these three wayes 1. Either by turning away the judgment that he had threatned as 2 Chron. 32. 26. Hezechia humbled himselfe for the pride of his heart both he and the inhabitants of Ierusalem so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the dayes of Hezechia Yea to shew what sound humiliation is able to doe the very counterfait of it hath beene very effectuall this way for the turning away of judgements 2 Chron. 12. 12 When Rehoboam humbled himselfe the wrath of the Lord turned from him so that he would not destroy him altogether and also in Iudah things went well The like we may see in the example of a worse man then hee 1 King 21. 29. Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himselfe before me therefore I will not bring the evill in his dayes Or 2. by hiding his servants from the judgement and providing for their safety in the common calamity as he did Iust Lot that was vexed with the filthy conversation of the Sodomites 2 Pet. 2. 7. This our God can doe verse 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of tentations For to him belong the issues of death Psal. 68. 20. Or 3. if he see it not good to do either of the former by sealing them setting his mark upon them giving them by his spirit further assurance of his favour and strength of grace to indure the calamity for that is Gods seale and marke Ep. 1. 13. and so did the Lord with those humbled soules that went into captivity Ezek. 9. 4. Goe through the midst of the City through the midst of Ierusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abhominations that be done in the midst thereof Consider well of this benefit I pray you 1. We live now in an evill time The plague hath devoured many thousands already and we all may see cause enough to feare it may come neerer to every one of us then yet it hath done 2. The Lord doth also threaten us with the sword You have heard of the intentions of our enemies abroad 3. All mens hearts are disquieted with feare few have any inward peace and security in their minds Learne therefore to know how wee might remedy this Certainly if we could learne to afflict our selves and mourne for our sinnes we need not feare either the plague or the papists God would be a refuge for us a refuge in times of trouble Psal. 9. 9. O that Gods people throughout the land could humble themselves more for sin for the sinnes of the land and for their owne sinnes O that we could doe it that are here now Remember what is said Prov. 14. 26. In the feare of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge Fourthly The Lord hath promised that the prayers of such shall prevaile mightily with him both for themselves and others You know what is said of Iacob Hos. 12. 4. He had power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplications unto him And of Hezechiah Esa. 38. 5. I have heard thy prayers I have seene thy teares behold I will adde unto thy dayes 15. yeeres And what need we more examples when we have the Lords expresse Word and promise for this Psal. 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine eare to heare Psal 34. 17. When the Prophet had said The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them he giveth this for the reason verse 18. The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray then will I heare from Heaven Yea for others also God will heare them Iob 42. 8. My servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept 1. Wee all complaine and not without cause as Iob did Iob 30. 20. I cry unto thee and thou dost not heare me I stand up and thou regardest me not 2. And we account it if we be as we should be the cheif priviledge and comfort we have in this life to have audience and respect with God in our prayers 1 Iohn 5. 14. This is the confidence that wee have in him that if wee aske any thing according to his will he heareth us 3. Take notice of a cheif cause thereof and as thou desirest God should have more respect to thy prayers labour thou to be more humbled for thy sinnes SERMON VI. Novemb. 9. 1625. FOlloweth now the third and last motive that this is the best way to prevent the Lord from afflicting and humbling our soules with his owne hand when we have learned to humble and afflict our owne soules For this is a certaine truth sinne will bring sorrow sooner or later that cannot bee avoided Sinne is therefore called sorrow because sorrow is an inevitable effect and consequent of it Eccl. 11. When he had said verse 9. Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheere thee in the daies of thy youth and walke in the waies of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement he addes verse 10. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evill from thy flesh When sinne hath gone before sorrow even sorrow and affliction of soule for sinne will follow Prov. 29. 6. In the transgression of a wicked man there is a snare that is that that will fill their hearts with deadly sorrow and heavinesse
of heart wherin we are to be principall agents our selves for we may do much in this worke our selves are these 110 1. We must make choise of a fit time to goe about this worke 111 2. We must separate our selves from company and make choise of a fit place to doe it 118 3. We must seriously and impartially examine our owne hearts 119 4. We must cry earnestly to God to helpe us in this worke to blesse our indeavours in it 128 SERMON VIII NEcessary to have notes and signes given us whereby sincere and saving sorrow for sinne may be discerned 130 1. He that is truly humbled mournes more for the evill of sinne then for the evill of punishment 133 2. He mournes for sinne not so much in respect to himselfe as unto God because he is offended and dishonoured by his sinne 137 And 3. notes to try whether a man doth so 141. 142 THE AVTHOVRS Prayer before his Lecture THy Word O Lord is holy and pure as is thine owne Majesty and being sincerely preached worketh either to the salvation or condemnation of the hearers And we all that are heere assembled before thee at this time are of uncircumcised hearts and eares utterly unworthy by reason of that sinne wherein we were conceived and borne and of those actuall transgressions that wee have multiplyed against thy Majesty in thought word and deed from our first being untill this present houre once to set foot into thy Temple or to heare thy Word at all Vtterly unfit and unable by reason of our custome in sinne and the hardnesse of our hearts to profit by it when as we heare it So that Lord we are at this time in danger to be unprofitable hearers of thy holy Word and by being unprofitable bearers of the same we are in danger of thy heavy displeasure Yet forasmuch as it hath pleased thee in mercy to command us this exercise to appoint it to be the onely ordinary meanes whereby thou wilt worke Faith and repentance in thy children and the principall meanes whereby thou wilt increase them to promise also graciously that thou wilt accompany the outward ministery of thy Word with the inward grace and blessing of thy Spirit in the hearts of them that shall be reverently and faithfully exercised in the same We therefore in humble obedience to this thy holy commandement and in full affiance and confidence in this thy gracious promise are bold to present our selves before thee at this time Beseeching thee in thy sonnes blood to wash away all our siâ—â—es so as they may never bee laid to our charge againe either in the world to come to our condemnation or at this time to bring a curse upon this our exercise Good Lord so sprinckle that blood of thy Sonne upon our consciences that we may be assured of thy love and favour towards us in him By it sanctify us at this time and thy word to our uses opening and enlightning our understanding so as we may be able to understand and conceave of thy word aright strenghtening our memories so as we may bee able to remember it softning our hard and stony hearts so as wee may be able to beleeve it to yeeld unto it to apply it to our owne soules to meditate and conferre thereupon to practise it in our lives and conversations to stirre up one another to the obedience thereof That this our exercise may tend to the increase of our knowledge and of our obedience of our Faith and of repentance the glory of thy blessed name and the everlasting comfort of our owne soules Heare us O Lord in these our requests in what else soever thou knowest good for us or any of thy Church for Iesus Christ his sake our Lord and only Saviour In whose name wee continue our prayers unto thee as he himselfe hath taught us Saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. SERMON I. AVGVST III. MDCXXV PSAL. 35. 13. But as for me when they were sicke my clothing was sackcloth I humbled my selfe with fasting and my prayer returned into mine owne bosome NOt to take up time in speaking of the former part of this Psalme these words have this coherence and dependance on that which went before David as a type of CHRIST having many mortall enemies doth in this Psalme by a Propheticall spirit pray against them or rather foretell what should befall them In this Verse and the former to shew what cause he had to do so he aggravateth their sin by their unthankfulnesse in dealing so badly with him that had deserved so well of them The parts of this Verse are two viz. a profession of 1. The kindnes he shewed to these men wherin observe the Time when he did it and the occasion he tooke to doe it When they were sicke Dutie wherby he expressed his love he prayed for them which is amplified by the extraordinary manner of it set forth by the Outward helpes he used in it Sackcloth Fasting Inward disposition of his mind in it he humbled or afflicted his soule 2. The successe and comfort he found in it Observe first Davids practise he was wont when these men were sicke to be affected with their misery which teacheth us that GODS people ought to take to heart the miseries and calamities of others the judgements of GOD that do befall others Seâ— for proofe of this both the examples of his servants and then GODS commandement also When Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar heard of Iobs misery they came to mourne with him Iob 2. 11. But he was a rare man for piety and authority also you will say see therefore another example of this duty performed towards them that were not so Did not I weepe for him that was in trouble saith Iob Chap. 30. 25. was not my soule grieved for the poore Yea see an example of this towards most wicked men Iudg. 21. 2. The people of Israel came to the house of GOD as we do now to professe their sorrow for the extreme misery that the wicked Benjamites were most justly fallen into Yea we are straityly charged by the LORD to do so to remember and thinke of them as if their case were our owne Remember them that are in bonds saith the Apostle Heb. 13. 3. as bound with them and them that are in adversity as being your selves also in the body Yea to do it with hearty commiseration Rom. 12. 15. Weepe with them that weepe Yea if the judgement be famous and exemplary we are commanded also to make publique and solemne profession as we do at this day that we are affected with their misery Levit. 10. 6. Let your brethren the whole house of Israel bewaile the burning which the LORD hath kindled Three speciall reasons and grounds there be for this Doctrine for we should take to heart the miseries and calamities of others First In respect had to them that are afflicted For admit they were not our fellow-members in CHRIST nor
our kindred or acquaintance nor our country-men admit they were meere strangers to us admit they were all most wicked men yet nature binds us to be affected with their miseries because they are our owne flesh Esa. 58. 7. Hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh And he that hath not humanity and naturall affection in him certainly hath no grace but is given up to areprobate mind as the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 1. 31. Yea it is an argument of a cruell heart to be void of naturall commiseration and carelesse of other men whether they sinke or swim In this Cain first bewrayed his murderous heart when he said of his brother Gen. 4. 9. Am I my brothers keeper And so did the chiefe Priests and Elders when hearing Iudas cry out of himselfe for his sinne and beholding him in the pangs of desperation they said unto him What is that to us see thou to that Secondly In respect had unto the LORD who by these judgements executed upon others doth manifest from heaven that His wrath is kindled that He is in a fury So that not to be affected with His judgements executed upon others is a double contempt done to the LORD Himselfe 1. In that we are not moved nor tremble to see Him angry Amos 3. 8. The Lion hath roared who will not feare It is hard to find a man so stout and couragious shall I say nay so senslesse or prophane that trembleth not sometimes at the fearefull thunder-claps and lightnings because GOD therein manifesteth His glorious power and because that though He strike not many with them usually yet some He doth but there is much more cause to tremble and be affected with His generall and extraordinary judgements upon others for thereby He doth not onely manifest His glorious power but His revenging justice also and anger against sin which is much more terrible than the other See a proofe of this Ezek. 32. 10. The Kings of the nations shal be horribly affraid for thee when I shall brandish my sword before them and they shall tremble at every moment every man for his owne life in the day of thy fall The Heathen that had no goodnesse in them at all when they should behold how terrible GOD was in His judgements upon His owne people should be in continuall feare that He would destroy them also As the scholler that is himselfe faulty and obnoxious to the rod when he seeth his master in a fury against any of his fellowes cannot chuse but tremble unlesse he be desperate This made the Prophet when GOD had in a vision manifested to him His glory Esa. 6. 45. when he saw the posts of the temple doore moved at the voice of the Angel that cryed and the house filled with smoke to cry out from the very consciousnesse of his owne sinfulnesse and deserts Woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of uncleane lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of uncleane lips for mine eyes have seene the King the LORD of Hosts 2. There is in this another contempt also done unto GOD because GOD never smites some but to warne all what is due to them and what they must looke for unlesse they repent Even those executions which the Magistrate doth by GODS appointment upon foule offenders are done chiefly to warne others Deut. 13. 11. All Israel shall heare and feare and shall do no more any such wickednesse as this is amongst you But much more those judgements which the LORD Himselfe hath executed upon any either immediately or by His destroying Angels are intended chiefly for the instruction and warning of others The righteous shall see and feare saith David Psal. 52. 6. The LORD consumed the Sodomites in that fearefull manner to make them an example to those that after should live ungodlily 2 Pet. 2. 6. And the earth swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram not onely out of that respect GOD had to the glory of His owne justice in taking vengeance on them for all their sinnes but that they might become a signe unto others as the HOLY GHOST saith expresly Num. 26. 10. Every judgement of GOD hath a voice and is a reall Sermon of repentance and the more generall and extraordinary the judgement is by so much the lowder and more audible voice it hath and it is therefore a contempt done to GOD when we regard it not nor hearken unto it Mica 6. 9. Heare the rod and who hath appointed it The third and last reason and ground of the Doctrine is in respect had to our selves For there is no judgement executed upon others specially if it be any whit publike and generall and more than ordinary but we all are to take our selves interessed in it yea to have had a hand in provoking the LORD unto it For as sinne is the cause of all GODS judgements that come upon a land so we must not judge them the greatest sinners alwayes upon whom they light Those eighteene upon whom the tower of Silo fell thinke ye saith our Saviour Luke 13. 4 5. that they were sinners above all that dwelt in Hierusalem I tell you nay Neither must we thinke that the sinnes of those whom GOD smites with His judgements are the only cause of the judgements or that He is angry with them only but know that He is aswel angry oft times with those that He spares as with those whom he smites and the sins of those whom he spares have oft a stronger hand in plucking down the judgement than the sinnes of those whom He smites have had Two notable examples we have for this in the time of David It was a fearefull judgement that GOD executed upon Vzza 1 Chron. 13. 10. The anger of the LORD was kindled against Vzza and He smote him because he put his hand to the arkeâ— and it is said Verse 12. that the judgement upon Vzza much affected David and made his heart quake And why so Surely because he knew that GOD was not angry with Vzza onely but with the whole congregation The LORD our GOD saith David 1 Chron. 15. 13. made a breach upon us for that we sought Him not after the due order He knew that the sinnes of the Priests and others that were spared provoked GOD to that judgement more than Vzza's did as appeares in the beginning of that Verse For because ye did it not at the first the LORD our GOD c. The second example is 2 Sam. 24. It was a fearefull judgement that is mentioned in the fifteenth Verse When by a pestilence that the LORD sent upon Israel in three dayes there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men and they that were slaine had doubtlesse sinne enough in themselves to deserve it but was their sinne the onely or the chiefe cause of that judgement no certainly the sinne of those that were spared was the chiefe cause of it as David confesseth Vers. 17. Loe
the plague if we do not first make our peace with GOD all these are in vaine If we beare in our bosome the cause of the plague if we nourish and increase it daily I meane our sinnes we cannot be sure to keepe it from our townes and houses do what we can Know thou for a surety it is GOD that sends the pestilence as He saith 2 Chron. 7. 13. In this judgement above others we are said to fall into the LORDS hands as David speaketh 2 Sam. 24. 14. And as He sends it so He onely guides it whither it shall go and whither it shall not go whom it shall smite and whom it shall spare And though He do usually send it by outward and ordinary meanes yet alwayes He doth not so Some that live in the thickest of them that are infected and in a most corrupt aire do escape some that flie from the places infected into the purest aire are infected they know not how How many Physitians and Chyrurgions and nurses and keepers that have beene wont to visit the infected to sweat them to dresse their sores to wash their linnen yea how many that have daily conversed with them and lyen in bed with them also have beene knowne to have escaped the infection altogether Whereas many that have beene most carefull to keepe themselves from all that have been infected and to use all good preservatives against the contagion have beene taken by it No man may argue from hence as some foolishly have done that this disease is not in it owne nature more infectious than other diseases are No more than from this that the three noble Iewes that were cast into Nebuchadnezzars furnace received no hurt at all by it Dan. 3. 27. and that oft times one house in a street or roome in a house escape burning in the greatest fires that have beene heard of a man may conclude that fire is not in it selfe of a burning and consuming nature But in this as in the other the finger and power of GOD is to be acknowledged in restraining and setting bonds to this heavy judgement as pleaseth Him And this the LORD doubtlesse doth to hearten and encourage them that are whole to performe all necessary duties of mercy and love to them that are sicke And as the LORD can thus limit the plague of pestilence so can He if He please command it to go through our whole Land before it cease as He did through the land of Israel 2 Sam. 24. 15. from Dan to Beersheba Though we flie from it He can follow and pursue us with it as He hath done many and threatneth I will persecute and follow them with the pestilence saith He Ier. 29. 18. Though we shut our doores against it He can make it come in at our windowes as they complaine Ier. 9. 21. Death is come up to our windowes and is entred into our palaces Let no man thinke he can be sure to avoid this judgement by flying from it if he be not carefull to remove the cause of it and to make his peace with GOD. Do therefore before it come nearer to thee as the LORD Himselfe counselleth thee Amos 4. 12. Prepare to meet thy GOD. And because thou canst have no assurance in thy selfe that thou shalt be able to avoid the danger of the indignation of this King that comes against thee for ought thou knowest with so great a power learne that wisdome that our Saviour directeth thee unto Luke 14. 32. While He is yet a great way off send an ambassage and desire conditions of peacewith Him If thou wouldst be free from the feare of the plague feare GOD aright Be not afraid saith the Prophet Esa. 8. 12 13. sanctifie the LORD of hosts Himselfe and let Him be your feare and let Him be your dread If we could feare the LORD as we ought we should not need to feare any thing els in the world Be sure to make thy peace with Him which how thou mayest doe I will tell thee by and by Thirdly and lastly to cause us to take to heart and to be affected with this fearefull plague consider that if this judgement be neglected as great as it is it wil be but a fore-runner of some more fearefull judgement than this is And as our Saviour speaketh in another case Matth. 24. 8. this wil be but the beginning of our sorrowes There is a judgement that this nation hath hitherto beene preserved from to the astonishment and admiration of all the world that is greater than this for it useth to bring this and the famine also with it I meane warre The sword of our bloudy and mercilesse enemies is worse than the plague This is plaine by Davids choice 2 Sam. 24. 14. Let us fall now into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great and let me not fall into the handof man And surely we have cause to feare that if this will do us no good GOD cannot endure to have His judgements despised Heare what He saith Levit. 26. 18. If you will not for all this hearken unto Me then I will punish you seven times more for your sinnes And certainly I may say to all you that heare me this day if you regard not nor profit by this fearfull plague you heare of in London and in other parts of the Land GOD will either bring it home to you or a worse plague than it Luke 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish The second duty that this Doctrine serveth to exhort us to is that we would make right use of this judgement of GOD that is upon the Land unto our selves And that standeth in foure points First seeing 1. GOD gives us in this judgement such cause of sorrow seeing He is angry and 2 not with the Londoners onely but with us with the whole Land and 3. it may be more with us than with them and 4. seeing we know not how soon this fire that burnes our neighbours house may light upon ours We must therfore examine every one of us our own wayes This direction is given us Lam. 3. 39. 40. Wherefore doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sinnes As if the Church there should say why do men mourne and fret and take on so for this judgement of GOD that is justly fallen upon them Why do they not betake themselves to the right course for the pacifying of GODS wrath Which is this and this onely Let us search and try our wayes and turne againe to the LORD Every one of us should say thus within himselfe surely the LORD is very angry with the whole Land with every one of us and what have I done to anger the LORD thus to provoke Him to this wrath Ier. 8. 6 7. The LORD chargeth the Iewes that they did not know His judgement because no man said what have I done And so surely will He judge of us We know not the meaning of the
be such as may be coloured with the best pretences will provoke Him to punish men this way So then to apply all this unto our selves seeing it is evident that we and our nation are guilty of all these sinnes for every one of which we find in the Word that GOD hath brought and threatned to bring this judgement upon His people in former times seeing we have beene 1. most unthankfull unto GOD for our deliverance out of that spirituall Egypt and house of bondage wherein our fore-fathers lived and have shewed too much desire to returne thither againe and have loathed so long the heavenly food of the Gospell of CHRIST more than ever they did that Manna and 2. have brought up and entertained a most slanderous and evill report of the promised Land and of that strait way that leads unto it speaking evill of and scorning the life and power of godlinesse and discouraging others from it murmuring against and hating to the death such of GODS servants as either by doctrine or example do presse and provoke us unto it and 3 are so ready upon every occasion to murmure and rebell against the servants and Ministers of the LORD content indeed to give them the hearing but apt to tell them if they shall deale particularly and roundly with us and require of us obedience to the truth and practise of that that we heare and professe that they take too much upon them seeing 4. whoredome doth every where so increase and abound in our Land and 5. we are every whit as proud of our owne strength and as apt to put trust in the arme of flesh as David was and 6. the holy Sacrament is in all places so commonly prophaned and those holy things given to and received without difference by such dogs and swine as have no care at all dâ—ly to prepare themselves thereunto seeing 7. the publique and solemne worship of GOD is every where so much neglected and 8 we have so hardened our hearts against and profited so little by many other judgements whereby the LORD hath witnessed His wrath from heaven against us and sought to bring us unto repentance and 9. we do continually with so great obstinacy refuse to yeeld obedience to many of the expresse commandements of GOD. Seeing I say we are guilty of all these sinnes that are the proper causes of this judgement let us therefore impute this fearefull plague whereby GOD â—ath smitten the chiefe City and many other parts of our Land unto these our sinnes and justifie the LORD in this judgement the causes whereof are so evidently to be found amongst us yea let us all feare that He will execute His fierce wrath upon us in the same manner except we repent us of and forsake these sinnes And this is the first way whereby we must make right use unto our selves of this heavy judgement of GOD that is upon the Land The second is this that seeing the LORD doth thus declare and proclaime that His anger and fury is kindled and inflamed against us all it behooves us without delay by all meanes to make our peace with GOD and to seeke reconciliation with Him Acquaint thy selfe now with Him saith Eliphaz to Iob. Chap. 22. 21. and make peace with Him thereby good shall come unto thee This and this onely is the way unto true safety and comfort And marke that he adviseth him to do it now Now is the time to do it if ever we will do it now that His hand is so stretched out against us And we are strangely hardned in our sins if howsoever we have wretchedly neglected it hitherto we will do it now If any shall aske me what must I doe and what course must I take to make my peace with GOD I answer briefly and plainly that there be three things thou must do if thou wouldest obtaine peace with GOD and if thou canst do these three things thou needest not doubt to obtaine it 1. Thou must freely and fully and particularly confesse thy sinnes unto GOD even those sinnes which I have shewed to be the chiefe causes of this judgement I said saith David Psal. 32. 5. I will confesse my transgressions unto the LORD and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sinne 2. Thou must unfainedly and fully resolve with thy selfe to cast off and forsake these and all other thy sinnes Prov. 28. 13. Who so confesseth and forsaketh his sinne shall find mercy Though thou canst not quite leave them as who can do that in this life yet if thou canst unfainedly and without dissimulation desire and purpose and resolve with thy selfe to leave them all begging strength of GOD that thou mayst be made able to do it then hast thou forsaken them in GODS account and they shall not hinder thy peace and reconciliation with GOD. In this David tooke comfort I am purposed saith he Psal. 17. 3. that my mouth shall not transgresse and Psal. 39. 1. I said I fully resolved and determined with my selfe I will take heed to my wayes 3. And lastly Thou must strive by a lively faith to lay hold on GODS mercy in CHRIST and to get His bloud sprinkled upon thy heart CHRIST is our peace as the Apostle cals Him Eph. 2. 14. Neither can we with all that we are able to do make our peace with GOD but onely through faith in Him When the destroying Angell saw the bloud of the lambe sprinkled upon the lintell and side-posts of any doore he passed by that house and smote none in it Exod. 12. 23. The third way whereby we must make right use to our selves of this judgement that we see upon others is this it must increase our care to reforme not our selves onely but our families It is a vaine thing for any man to blesse himselfe or take comfort in his repentance without this care say not if I use all good meanes to make peace with GOD for my selfe I hope the faults of my family shall never be imputed unto me Search the Scriptures and you shall find there was never any man that was himselfe reconciled and at peace with GOD but his care was that his family might feare GOD and be in favour with Him as well as himselfe Cornelius though he were a Centurion and kept a great family and had souldiers to serve him yet feared God with all his house Acts 10. 2. So soone as Zacheus himselfe was become a sonne of Abraham a true believer salvation came unto his house too Luke 19. 9. Christ promised he should have a faithfull and a religious family So speaketh Eliphaz also to Iob Iob 22. 23. If thou returne to the Almighty thou shalt be built up thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles No man that is himselfe truly returned unto the Almighty need to be discouraged in this if he do his endeavour God hath promised that he shall be able through His gracious assistance and blessing to reforme his family though not to
as of the chiefe cause why God did hide His face from His people and consumed them with His judgements Esa. 64. 7. There is noâ—e that câ—lleth upâ—n Thy Name that stirreth â—p hâ—mself to take hâ—ld of Thee By prayer the faithfull may as it were take hold on God they may hold His hands from 〈◊〉 them as Moâ—â— did when God said to him Exâ—d 32. 10. Let Me â—lone But none doth thus effectually call upon God and take hold of Him that prayeth coldly and drowsily but he onely that stirreth up and rowâ—eth himselfe unto this duty that he may do it fervently And â—urely this mâ—y be one cause why God hath given no better answer to our prayers hitherto because he seeth how cold and drowsâ—e we have beene in them how little affected we have beene with the miseries of our brethren whom we have seemed to pray for When our blessed Saviour was in His agony and his soule was exceeding sorrowfull even unto death Mat. 26. 38. His Disciples Peter and Iames and Iohn whom He desired to watch with Him and to be some helpe to Him in that His distresse fell asleepe so little sense had they of His extreme misery Mat. 26. 40. And even so have we carried our selves towards our brethren the members of Christ we have pretended a willingnesse to yeeld them our helpe in the miseries they are in but alas in the prayers that we have seemed to make for them we have beene overtaken with drowsinesse and sleepinesse we have beene in them little or nothing at all touched with the sense of their distresse But as our Saviour said then unto those His Disciples Mat 26. 41. Watch and pray So say I unto you beloved you can never do your selves or your brethren good by your prayers unlesse when you pray you watch and looke well to your hearts to keepe them from drowsinesse and senslesnesse from wandring and roving that when you pray you may pray with fervency and feeling of your owne necessities and of the necessities of them that you do pray for Let us not thinke that because we see no better fruit of our prayers the Lord hath beene displeased with us for keeping these fasts and presuming to become sâ—itors to Him for our brethren But let us rather judge that He hath therefore delayed to answer us hitherto that He might cause us hereby to cry lowder and to be more importunate and fervent with Him in our prayers For so dealt He with the good woman of Canaan Mat. 15. 22 24. 26. He did not onely delay to helpe her but by His neglecting of her and the rough answers He gave her seemed angry with her and willing to discourage her not out of any dislike He had to her or her suit wherewith doubtlesse He was much pleased but onely to increase her fervency and importunity in prayer Secondly We must pray in faith and confidence to be heard Let him aske in faith saith the Apostle Iam. 1. 6 7. els let him not think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. And surely we have just cause to pray in faith and confidence that we shall prevaile with God in these prayers that we make for our distressed brethren Many good grounds of confidence we have 1. We have heard that it is the will and commandement of God that we should pray for them And this is the confidence that we have in Him saith the Apostle I Iâ—h 5. 14. that if we aske any thing according to His will He heareth us 2. These extraordinary prayers and fasts that we keepe are injoyned us by publique authority of our gracious Soveraigne and of the State And even that is a thing highly pleasing unto God and will much further the successe of our prayers Therefore also it is mentioned by the Holy Ghost as a matter of no small imporâ—ance in two of the most succesfull fasts that is in that of Iâ—dah 2 Chron. 20. 3. Iehoshaphat feared and set himself to seeke the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all ludah And in that of the Ninivites Ion. 3. 7. He caused it to be proclaimed and published through Niniveh by the decree of the King and his Nobles saying c. 3. These fasts are kept generally and every where throughout the Land and that is also a thing that God is much pleased with such prayers and dayes of humiliation that have beene so universall have beene wont much to prevaile with God as we have already heard out of Iudg. 20. 26. 2 Chron. 20. 3 13. Ion. 3. 5 7 8. 4. The nation and people that we pray for are Gods owne people and such as beare His Name Admit our Land be as sinfull as Sodom was yet remember that if there had beene but ten such in Soâ—om as we have many thousands of in our Land God had heard Abrahams prayer even for Sodom because of them Gen. 18. 32. Of our Land blessed be God we may yet say there is no nation in the world at this day that hath so many righteous persons in it or that hath the Gospell preached in it in that sincerity and power as we have Nay there is no City in the world where the Gospell is so plentifully and so faithfully preached nor wherein God is so purely worshipped as in that City that we meet together this day to pray for And what an encouragement that may be unto us in our prayers is plaine by that speech of the Prophet in his prayer unto God for Iudah Ier. 14. 9. Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy Name leave us not And this must be acknowledged for another cause why our prayers hitherto have sped no better we have not prayed in faith Many have joyned with us whose persons God never yet accepted or was well pleased with And till God have respect to Abel himselfe He will never have respect to any offâ—ing of his Gen. 4. 4. And such of us as are in the state of grace yet have we not stirred up our faith and confidence to speed in the prayers we have made Do it hereafter and thou shalt be sure to speed the better in thy prayers for it Say unto thy soule when thou preparest thy selfe to pray as David did Psal. 42. 11 Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God Put thy confidence in God hope and expect to receive a gracious answer from Him when thou prayest unto Him and thou shalt find better successe in thy prayers than thou hast beene wont to do Thirdly We must pray in sense of our owne unworthinesse no man is fit to pray for Gods people but he that feeles the plague of his owne heart as Salomon speaketh I King 8. 38. But how can that be will you say if I have when I pray a deepe
apprehension and sense of mine owne unworthinesse and sinne how can I be importâ—nate with God in my prayer How can I pray in faith or be confident that He will heare me This must needs deprive a man of all boldnesse discourage and make him afraid to speake unto God This effect the sense of sinne seemes to have had in David when he cryed Psal. 40. 12. Miâ—e iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to looke up they are more than the haires of mine head therefore mine heart faileth me But to this I answer that no faithfull man hath cause to feare this For Gods people have never beene so strong with Him in prayer as when they were most abased and dejected in themselves insense of their owne weakenesse and unworthinesse When I am weake saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 12. 10. weake and dejected in my selfe through sense of mine owne infirmities and afflictions then am I strong strong in the Lord and fittest to do Him service in an acceptable manner See an example and type of this in Iâ—cob Gen. 32. 25 26 Never was he so strong with God as when the hollow of his thigh was out of joynt He had power over the Angell over Christ the Angell of the covenant saith the Prophet Hos. 12. 4. and prevailed He wept and made supplication unto Him He found Him in Bethel Why wept he so Certainly from the sense of his owne infirmity and unworthinesse but he prevailed with God in his supplications neverthelesse but much the more for that See this also in the good woman of Canaan do you not thinke she was much abased in her selfe upon those three repulses that she had received Mat. 15. 27. yet was her prayer then most strong and effectuall with God Vers. 28. And this is surely another cause why our prayers for our brethren have beene so weake and without force with God we are too strong too well perswaded of our selves to do Gods people any good with our prayers Fourthly We must bring with us unto prayer an unfeigned desire and a full purpose and resolution of heart to reforme that that is amisse both in our selves and others and so to remove the cause of Gods displeasure that is kindled against us Certainly this would give wonderfull force unto our prayers This was that that gave such force unto the fasting and praying of the Ninivites Ion. 3. See their care and desire Let them turne every one from his evill way say the King and his Nobles in their proclamation Verse 8. and from the violence that is in their hands See also both the performance of that they resolved to do and how nothing so much prevailed with God for the successe of their prayers as this Verse 10. God saw their workes that they turned from their evill way and God repented of the evill that He had said He would do untâ— them and He did it not Therefore hath it been usuall with Gods people in their solemne fasts not onely to make full and particular confession of their sinnes but also to vow unto God that they would leave and forsake them yea they were wont solemnly to bind themselves unto this All this is evident â—eb 9. 12 38. 10. 29. When Phinehas stood up and executed judgement upon Zimri and Cozbi as Moses and the Iudges had before done of many others that were joyned unto Baal-Peor Numb 25. 4 5. and so removed the cause of Gods displeasure the plague was stayed saith the Prophet Psal. 106. 30. All the weeping of the whole congregation before the doore of the tabernacle of which we read Numb 25. 6. could do nothing without that O that God would put into the hearts of all our Magistrates not onely to appoint and keep solemne and generall fasts but also by severe execution of the lawes to remove the causes of all our plagues Our King and State blessed be God have made good Lawes against idolatry swearing prophanation of the Sabbath murther and drunkennesse but alas we want such as Phinehas to see the lawes executed upon any of these offendors and therefore it is no marvell though the plague be not stayed While these fowle sinnes are winked at and go unpunished what hope can we have that either our owne prayers or the prayers of all the Saints upon earth should prevaile with God for our Land Till the Achans be found out and punished as found they may easily be for they do every where declare their sinne as Sodom they hide it not as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 3. 9. but till they be punished as God did say to Ioshua Icsh. 7. 10 11. Get thee up wherefâ—re lyest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned so will He to us why do you thus fast and pray and make such shew of humiliation as you do find out the sinnes and punish them that are the causes of Mine anger and then I wil be appeased toward you and your Land Certainly one chiefe cause why our fasting and praying hath done so little good is because this â—aâ—h not beene done Nay many of these lewd men that are guilty of these foule sinnes intrude themselves into our assemblies and joyne with us in these holy duties And we know that the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination unto the Lord Prov. 15. 8. Let me therefore exhort you beloved that as you desire to please God in this profession of humiliation that you make and to benefit your selves or your brethren by your prayers resolve both to forsake every knowne sinne and vow unto God this day amendment of life in such particulars as thine owne heart can tell thee thou hast most offended God by and which of us all is it that hath not something to reforme remembring alwayes that speech of the Prophet Psal 66. 18. If I regardiniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me as also 2. to do what lies in thee to reforme others Fiftly and lastly We must joyne workes of mercy with our prayers 1. Let no man thinke he shall be a looser by that that he gives out of conscience towards God unto the poore He that hath pitie upon the poore lendeth unto the Lord saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 19. 17. and that that he hath given will He pay him againe 2. Of all almes that is given that is best and most pleasing unto God that is given in our Church-assemblies for it is an ordinance of God and even a Sabbath-duty that collection should be made for the poore when we meet together as is plaine by that speech of the Apostle 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. And of that that is thus given you may have much more assurance that it shal be given to them onely that have need than you can have of much of that that you give at your doores 3. There is great force in this worke of mercy to further the good successe of our prayers els would not the Angell have said thus unto Cornelius
a reverend respect Gods people shewed even to the Word read Nehem 8 3. The eares of all the people were attentive unto the booke of the Law and ver 5. When Ezra opened the booke to read it all the people stood up Make conscience to joine with the congregation in those prayers that are read aswell as in those that are coÌ„ceaved For those that are read are holy good prayers and all the congregation should make their prayers and supplications with one accord as they did Act. 1. 14. Hold thy selfe bound to joine with the congregation in singing of Psalmes also See how well God shewed himselfe to bee pleased with this duty 2 Chron. 20. 22. When they began to sing and to praise the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon c. 2. Of giving according to thy ability some what to the poore Luk. 21. 23. Christ tooke notice of them that contributed and praised the poore widdow 3. To make it a day of restraint in the matter of food of all sorts so farre as thy health will permit in the matter of thy apparell so farre as decency will permit in the matter of thy delights of all sorts and in the matter of thy worldly affaires Yea 4. Of holding out in these duties a whole day 5. Take heed of hypocrisy and thinking that thy performance of these outward things will serve thy turne and merit at Gods hands When our Saviour saw what an innumerable multitude of people came to heare him in so much that they trode one upon another Luk. 12. 1. hee began to say to his Disciples first of all beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy And this caveat we have all just cause to give to you in such great assemblies as this is specially at our solemne feasts take heed of hypocrisy Rest not in nor blesse your selves in the deed you have done but referre these outward things unto those right ends which I have told you they were ordained for And remember alwayes that speach of the Apostle Rom. 2. 29. Hee is a lew which is one inwardly and circumcision so is humiliation also is that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Thirdly For reproofe of sundry abuses which are chief causes why our fasts prevaile no more with God First Such are to bee reproved as refuse to joine with Gods people in this duty and will not separate themselves from their profits and delights no not so much as one day in a month though God calls them to it and the King also commaunds them to doe it But like them of Ephraim and Mâ—nasseh of whom we read 2 Chron. 30. 10. are ready to laugh the officers to scorne and to mocke them that in the Kings name require them to doe it Let no man say had we not better have their room then their company What good can wee hope to receive by having such as they to joyne with us in our fasts For as you have heard the coming of all in this case would do us good and further our prayers and this open contempt that such men in all parts doe shew may make us all fare the worse You therefore that are officers doe what you can to restraine them from their labours and to bring them hither Remember that you are also comprehended in the number of those servants to whom the charge is given Luk. 14. 23. Goe out and compell them to come in that my house may be filled Secondly Such as doe come and joyne with us though they doe that also but by the halves but so soone as they are gone forget the occasion of our fasts remember no longer the affliction of Iosâ—ph give themselves as full liberty to all delights and jollity as if there were no judgement at all upon the land Marke well how God complaines of them that in a time of common calamity did give themselves liberty even in lawfull delights Marke well that speach that you shall find Esa. 22. 14. Surely this iniquity shall not bee purged from you till yee dye saith the Lord of Hosts Why what had they done See that verse 13. Behold joy and gladnâ—sse slaying of Oxen and killing of Sheep eating of Flesh and drinking of Wine Why what evill or unlawfulnesse was there in all this True but this was that that so much provoked the Lord that they gave themselves to this jollity at such a time as the Lord God of Hosts did by his judgements call them to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with sack cloth as wee read verse 12. That they did this with contempt of Gods judgements saying and resolving with themselves thus profanely and desperately as verse 13. Let us eate and drinke for tomorrow we shall dye And what unlawfulnesse was there in that which Amos so much complaineth of Ames 6. 4. 6. In lying upon beds of lvory or in stretching themselves upon their couches or in eating the Lambs out of the flock and the Calves out of the midst of the stall or in chaunting to the sound of the Viol and inventing to themselves instruments of musick like David or in drinking Wine in bowles and annointing themselves with the chiefe ointments Were any of these things unlawfull No but because they did this in such a time as Ioseph the Church of God was in great affliction because they did hereby declare that they were not grieved for the affliction of Ioseph because they did by thâ—se meanes put farre away from them the evill day as the Prophet speaketh vers 3. and made themselves forgetfull and senselesse of Gods judgement therefore was the Lord so highly offended with them for it Consider of these places well beloved and you will easily discerne that in such evill times as these are in times of great calamity either upon our selves or upon our brethren wee must all of us some what abridge our selves both in our feasts and in our bravery and in our lawfâ—ll delights of all sorts whatsoever When the Lords sword is sharpened to make a sore slaughter saith the Prophet Eze. 21. 10. when it is furbished that it may glister much lesse when wee see it hath aâ—â—eady made a great slaughter among our brethren as we now see it hath and is even dyed red with their blood should wee then make mirth And if the Lord will not allow us in such times the free use of our most lawfull delights what will the Lord say then to the mirth used even in this time of common calamity in our alehouses and at our wakes where lewd men of all sorts assemble themselves by troupes Ier. 5. 7. to provoke one another to all kind of lewdnesse Will there bee any hope our fasts shall doe much good while our disordred wakes are coÌ„tinued and frequented so in such times as these are Thirdly Such as having power in their hand doe not endeavour to
and humbledst thy selfe before me and didst rent thy clothes and weep before me I have even heard thee saith the Lord. Wherein also we may observe how well God is pleased to see his people fall into these passions of feare and sorrow when he by his word doth rebuke and threaten them Which the Lord also professeth Esa. 66. 2. But to this man will I looke even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word So when God hath shewed himselfe to bee angry and displeased with them by executing any of his judgements upon them they have then beene wont and it was their duty then to afflict their soules If her father saith the Lord of Miriam Num. 12. 14. had but spit in her face should shee not be ashamed seven dayes See a plaine proofe of this 2 Chron. 7. 13. If I send pestilence among my people if my people shall humble themselves and pray and seeke my face Marke not their owne losse by the judgement should trouble them so much as Gods anger and therefore in their prayer they seeke Gods face and favour above all things And this is very pleasing unto God to see his people humble themselves so under the strokes of his hand See a notable example of this 2 Chron. 12. 3 4. Shishak King of Egypt came against Ierusalem with a mighty Army and tooke the fenced Cities that pertained to Iudah and came to Ierusalem See what followed 2 Chron. 12. 6. The Princes of Israel and the King humbled themselves and they said the Lord is righteous And what followed upon that verse 7. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves the word of the Lord came to Shemajah saying they have humbled themselves therefore I will not destroy them Thirdly When they have seene God dishonored by the sins of others then have they also mourned and afflicted their soules Ieremy professeth 13 17. If you will not heare my soule shall weep in secret places for your pride So David professeth that the Zeale of Gods house the inward vexation of his soule through zealous sorrow and indignation for the neglect and profanation of Gods worship had even eaten him up and consumed him Psal. 69. 9. Specially the foule sinnes that they have knowne in the places Townes Congregations Families where themselves lived So it is said of Lot 2 Pet. 2. 8. That righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds So Paul saith the Corinthians should have done 1 Cor. 5. 2. Ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned And see how highly God is pleased with this when his people can mourn for this cause Ezek. 9. 4. And the Lord said unto him that was clothed with linen and had the writers inkhorne by his side Goe through the midst of the City through the mids of Ierusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof Fourthly and lastly The chief cause why they have beene so given to mourning and weeping why they have afflicted themselves so much hath beene their owne sinnes whereby themselves have offended and dishonoured God This David professeth was the cause why his sorrow was continually before him he was sorry for his sinne Psal. 38. 16. 17. This was the cause why Mary Magdalen wept so abundantly that shee was able to wash Christs feet with her teares shee was a sinner Luk. 7. 37 38. This sorrow God wonderfully delights in more then in all outward worship whatsoever Psal. 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Now come we to the second inquiry to find out the true causes and reasons of this why God should so much desire and delight to see His people humbled with sorrow to see them afflict and chasten their soules in this manner It is said of Him that He hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servants Psal. 35 27. that He doth not afflict willingly Lam. 3. 33. that in all the afflictions of His people He is afflicted Esa. 63. 9. And indeed it is true that our sorrowes in themselves please not God but onely in respect First of the causes and fountaines from whence they proceed that is 1. They are the worke of His owne Spirit It is the Spirit of God onely that gives to any man such a fleshy and soft heart as we may see by that promise Ezek. 11. 19. I will give them one heart and will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh And I will powre upon them my spirit and they shall mourne abundantly saith the Lord Zach. 12. 10. And God must needs take pleasure in the worke of His owne grace and holy Spirit 2. These teares proceed from our love to God Kindnesse you know causeth teares more than any thing els so it is in this case Christ saith of the woman that wept so abundantly that she loved much Luke 7. 47. And that which makes men most of all to mourne for sinne is the Spirit of grace which perswades us of Gods free love to us and that Christ was pierced by and for us Zach. 12. 10. And this above many other workes of His Spirit God greatly delighteth in 1 Cor. 8. 3. If any man love God the same is knowne of Him Secondly In respect of the end that this sorrow tends unto the issue and effect of it the Lord greatly delighteth in it He seeth we have need of it 1 Pet. 1. 6. Now for a season if need be you are in heavinesse The Lord seeth it will do us much good and therefore He is so well pleased with it Eccles. 7. 3. By the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better 1. It makes us more capable of every grace of God and fitter to receive it As the vessell that is full can receive no good liquor but all is spilt that is powred upon it and the emptier it is the more it will receive So is it in this case Iam. 4. 6. God will give grace to the humble For knowledge Psal. 25. 9. The meeke will He teach His way and for comfort 2 Cor. 7. 6. God comforteth those that are cast downe 2. It worketh repentance unto salvation and the heart is never wont to be truly turned unto God and changed but the change begins here 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of 3. It makes Christ and Gods Word and Promises sweet unto us and all Gods mercies to relish well as hunger makes us relish our meat and thirst our drinke Prov. 27. 7. The full soule loatheth an hony-combe but to the hungry soule every bitter thing is sweet The prodigall when he had beene pinched with hunger
8. Yea they have been brought to the very point brink of despaire before they could come to comfort So was Asaph when he cryed Psal. 73 26. My flesh and my heart faileth And so was Heman when he complained Psal. 88. 15. While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted And so was David also when he said thus in his prayer unto God Psal. 40. 12. Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so as I am not able to looke up they are more then the haires of my head therefore my heart faileth me But these were fouler sinners thou wilt say then ever thou wert I will shew thee therefore examples of such as whose sinnes were as small as thine Iob was never tainted with so fowle sinnes as thou hast been and yet his eyes were wont to poure out teares unto God 16. 20. He for that very forwardnesse and impatiency he shewed in so great affliction abhorred himselfe and repented in dust and ashes Iob 42. 6. Davids heart was so soft and tender that it smote him when he had but cut off the skirt of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24. 5. The poore man whose child Christ dispossessed burst out into teares even for the weakenesse of his faith Mar. 9. 24. Paul was marvellously humbled even for his originall sinne Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Consider these examples well and thou must needs conclude with thy selfe 1. Surely it must needs be a good thing 2. Surely it must needs be a necessary thing that all Gods people have beene so much given unto Surely I have as much cause as they had to weepe and bee deeply humbled for my sinnes But I will give thee another example farre greater then all these thy blessed Saviour that had no sin was much given to mourning and weeping for the the sinnes that thou and such as thou art have committed Mar. 3. 5. He mourned for the hardnesse of the hearts even of his enemies He wept over Ierusalem Luc. 19. 41. His soule was exceeding sorrowfull unto death Mat. 26. 38. He offred up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares Heb. 5. 7. Say not I have the lesse cause to grieve for my sinnes because hee grieved so much for them Esay 53. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrowes For thou must become conformable unto him in his sufferings or thou shalt never have comfort in them Rom. 8. 29. 6. 5. Say therefore to thine owne soule if all Gods people have beene so apt to weep and mourne what am I But before I proceede to the second Motive two questions and doubts must be ansvered that may arise from the first Can I not be in the state of grace unlesse I match these examples and be so tender hearted and apt to mourne as they I answer first thou mayest All Gods children have not beene humbled nor broken in heart in the same measure and degree and two reasons there be of the difference First In the persons themselves Some of them have beene more hainous sinners then others And according to the proportion of mens sins hath and must be the measure of mens humiliation The hainouser the sinne the deeper and of the longer continuance must the sorrow be Of Manafâ—es it is said 2 Chron. 33. 12. He humbled himselfe greatly before God Of David Psal. 51. 8. that his anguish and sorrow for sin was like to the paine a man feeleth that hath his bones broken Of Mary Magdalen that she wept so aboundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares Luc. 7. 38. Thinke upon this thou that hast beene guilty of murther persecution whoredome or such like hainous sinnes thy sorrow must be proportionable to the hainousnesse of thy sinnes The second reason of the difference is in the Lord who is the only worker giver of this grace For as in other graces he is pleased to give them in greater measure to some of his elect then to others Mat. 13. 23. In some elect ground the seed of the Word yeelds but thirty in some sixty in some an hundred fold So is it in this Ordinarily the Lord useth by the spirit of bondage and legal terrors to prepare men to their conversion and deeply to humble them to give them the spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. But we read of no such thing in the first conversion of Matthew though he had beene a Publican For at his very first conversion he made a great feast to Christ Mat. 9. 9 10. nor in those that Peter converted for though they were pricked in their hearts and deeply humbled before they beleeved Act. 2. 37. Yet did their sorrow and feare continue nothing so long upon them as Davids did they quickly attained to comfort in the assurance of pardon Act. 2. 41. 46 Lydias example I doe of purpose omit for shee though shee beleeved not in Christ till she heard Paul Act. 16. 14. yet was converted and feared God before Verse 13. Secondly Yet know this that all Gods elect 1. Find in themselves this humiliation even with legall terrours at one time or other For Christ was sent to preach the Gospell to none but to the broken-hearted to the captives to the bruised Luk. 4. 18. that is to such as had the spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. 2. All Gods faithfull and true hearted people are in some true measure humbled and can mourne and afflict their soules for sinne for they are all oft in scripture stiled by this title They are called the humble Psal. 34. 2. an afflicted and poore people Zeph. 3. 12. the poore of the flâ—ck Zac. 11. 7. 11. poore he meanes in spirit Maâ— 5. 3. Psal. 34 6 3. They hold themselves bound to aime at the best marks and to strive to be like them that have most excelled in this grace of brokennesse of spirit ability to mourne for sin Phil. 3. 17. Brethren be followers together of mee and marke them that walke so as ye have us for an ensample Thou art then in a wofull case if thou neither canst mourne for thy sinne nor strivest to doe it But yet there is a second question to be resolved For we heare may some say that Iob and David Peter and Paul and Hezechia and Iosia and Christ have been much given to weeping in their mourning for sinne they have wept much Can I not bee in the state of grace can I not have truely repented nor beene humbled for my sinne unlesse I can doe as they did unlesse I can weepe for my sinne I answer First That the griefe and mourning for sinne be absolutely necessary unto unfained repentance teares are not alwayes so And I will shew you two reasons of the difference that is to be observed betweene Gods people in this point First The constitution of some mens bodyes makes them much more unapt to weepe then others are Secondly The
very extreamity of griefe sometimes so oppresseth and overwhelmeth mens hearts as David complaineth of himselfe Psal. 143. 4. My spirit is overwhelmed within me my heart within mee 〈◊〉 desolate as they cannot ease themselves either by words or teares Gods people have beene oft in that extreamity of griefe as they could not pray I meane not expresse in words the desires of their heart but with sighes and groanings Rom. 8. 26. In extreamity of sorrow some men cannot weepe It is said of David and his company 1 Sam. 30. 4. they had no more power to weepe So that I may say to thee that if thou canst by the signes that I shall by and by give thee approve that thou art able soundly to mourne and bee humbled for thy sinnes though thou canst not weepe for them thou mayst be in the state of grace for all that But secondly I answer That if the constitution of thy body will serve thee to weep for other things and yet thou couldst never weep for thy sinnes surely thy case is fearefull As to the man that can remember other things well enough a tale a play but a sermon a chapter of the Bible he cannot remember and excuseth the matter thus my memory is naught I may say it is naught indeed with a witnes it is sinfully it is damnably naught so to thee that canst weepe for other things but not for sinne I may say flatter not thy selfe but strive to bee able to doe as thou hearest other the good servants of God have done and that God hath beene so highly pleased with them for strive to bee able to weepe for thy sinnes The second motive to persuade you to seeke for this grace is the consideration of the manifold promises God hath made in his word to them that can afflict their soules and be rightly humbled for sinnes and the great benefite that this grace will bring with it First This sorrow shall not be everlasting Rev. 7. 17. but it shall end in comfort Iohn 16. 20. Yee shall be sorrowfull but your sorrow shall be turned into joy Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in teares shall reap in joy It is appointed unto them that mourne in Zion that they shall have the â—ile of joy given them for their mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavines Esa. 61. 3. The Lord who is the father of mercies God of all consolation is cald a God that comforteth al those that are cast downe 2 Cor. 7. 6. Never found Gods people that coÌ„fort in Gods mercy in the assurance of the pardoÌ„ of their sins as when they have beene most humbled and able to weep most for their sinnes Esa. 29. 19. The meeke shall increase their joy in the Lord and the poore among men shall rejoyce in the holy one of Israel The day of humiliation when Gods people afflict their soules before him is called a day of attonement Levit. 23. 27. For so is Gods promise Zac. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse First No man need feare hee shall bring himselfe to desperation if he give way to this tendernesse of heart and sorrowing for sinne For there is no such medicine in the world to free thy heart from legall and desperate feares and sorrowes and to bring thy heart to sweet peace and comfort in God as this is if thou couldst rightly mourne and be humbled for thy sinne When those poore wretches that had crucified Christ and were pricked in their hearts with intollerable feares and sorrowes and anguish of soule for it and cried out to the Apostles what shall we doe Act. 2. 37. Marke what remedy Peter prescribes them verse 38. Repent saith he Why Did they not repent already of that they had done Yes with legall repentance for endaungering themselves but his meaning is repent and mourne that you have offended God And indeed so is Gods promise Esay 57. 15. I will dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones He may be sure to have his heart revived and comforted that can be humbled enough Secondly Yea there is no such remedy against wordly sorrow as this if when we feele our hearts dejected with any sorrow for any worldly crosse we would labour to turne our heart from the consideration of the crosse to the consideration of our sinne that hath beene the cause of it And this remedy you shall finde prescribed Lam. 3. 39. Wherefore doth a living man complaine chafe and fret and disquiet himselfe a man for the punishment of his sinnes let us search and try our wayes I beseech you lay this second Motive to your hearts every one of you 1. Many of you never yet had any comfort in God in the assurance of the pardon of your sinnes never found sweetnesse in Christ nor in Gods promises 2. Many of you are much disquieted with legall and desperate feares 3. Many of you are alwayes heavy hearted somtimes by reason of crosses you meet with and sometimes you know not why And what is the true cause of all this You were never yet rightly humbled for your sinnes Why will you continue in this uncomfortable estate Learne to mourne and weepe for thy sinnes and that will help all The second promise made unto it and benefit this sorrow will bring is that it will make us capable of and able to thrive in every saving grace This benefit you shall find pressed as a motive unto this 1 Pet. 5. 5 6. God giveth grace to the humble humble your selves therefore saith the Apostle under the mighty hand of God Iam. 4. 6 7 9. God giveth grace to the humble submit your selves therefore to God bee afflicted and mourne and weep Men use not to come to the rock to be well grounded and setled in grace till they have digged deep Luk. 6. 48. Such shall attaine to a cleare and certaine and sanctified knowledge of the truth Psal. 25. 9. The humble he will teach his way Such shall get power over their corruptions 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of Eccle. 7. 3. Sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better These teares are of a purging and cleansing nature no sope no nitre is so effectuall to get the spots and staines out of cloth as these are to wash out the spots of thy soule That which Salomon saith of a slanderer Prov. 25. 23. An angry countenance will drive him away may be said of this if sinne be not cockerd and made much of if we would shew our selves discontented sad and heavy while it tarrieth with us this would drive it away Take this also to heart I pray you 1 Many of
hee sent Shemajâ—h the Prophet unto them to declare unto them the true cause of that judgement and to bring them to an effectuall sight and sense of their sinne and then not before they humbled themselves and confessed that the Lord was righteous Gods judgements and corrections without the word vse not to worke savingly Indeed they serve 1. to prepare and make the heart fitter to receive and profite by the word 2. to stirre up those sparks and make them to burne which the word had before cast into the heart and were covered as with ashes but without the word they use not to worke savingly But the word even without affliction hath done mighty things this way Ier. 23. 29. Is not my Word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces Wouldst thou then have thy heart softned Bring it to this fire if it be as hard as iron it will soften it and make it plyable bring it to this anvile where the hammer smiteth and it wil breake it For first this is ordained and sanctified of God to bee a glasse that will cleerly and evidently discover to us all our spots and deformities as the Apostle teacheth us Iam. 1. 23. Secondly God hath promised to accompany this ordinance of his with the divine power and efficacy of his holy Spirit I will be with you saith our Saviour Mat. 28. 20. unto the end of the world And therefore it is no marvell though it be so mighty this way A likely matter will you say for where have you harder and profaner hearts then such as are daily beaten upon by this hammer I answer First That the hardned and reprobate heart is made the harder by the strokes of this haÌ„mer specially such hearts as once were softned and are growne hard againe even as the Smiths iron is To 〈◊〉 the word is a savour of death unto death 2 Cor. 〈…〉 Secondly The true cause why so many heare us daily and their hearts are never a whit mollified by it is this in many of our hearers the Lord works not with us no alas in these dayes the Lord works with us but in few and if he be not with us if hee worke not with us we can doe nothing When God bad Moses take his rod and smite the rock in Horeb he told him he would stand before him on the rock and then when God stood upon the rock Moses smote the rock and water gushed out of it aboundantly Exod. 17. 5 6. If God had not beene there Moses smiting the rock would have done nothing so is it in this case Thirdly This I say that such as God hath in mercy ordained to give a soft heart unto shall feele their hearts mollified more by this then by any other meanes And if this will not soften thy heart I assure thee nothing will doe it This being so Oh that we who are Gods ministers would more diligently carefully apply our selves to this worke and stir up our selves in our ministry not onely to reprove sinne but to doe it feelingly and conscionably so as may be most effectuall to bring Gods people to sound humiliation for sinne If we would bring them to lament for sinne we must mourne to them our selves as our saviour speaketh Mat. 11. 17. and not by our Epicurisme and riotous lives proclaime unto them that we are far from having humbled soules in our selves for our owne sinnes And O that you that are Gods people would seek for and desire this helpe from us in our ministry to soften your hearts and further you in this worke of humiliation of foule for sinne Certainly you should desire and seek for all good helpes this way When God denounced against his people the heavy judgement of the Babilonish captivity and provokes them to humiliation and repentance for the preventing of it Consider yee saith he ler. 9. 17 18. and call for the mourning women that they may come and send for cunning women that they may come and let them make hast and take up a wailing for us that our eyes may runne down with teares and our eyelids gush out with waters He alludes to the custome they had in funerals and such occasions of mourning to hire certain women that by their skill in singing dolefull songs might increase their heavinesse and make them more apt to mourn But his meaning is to teach them that in such a time as that was wherein they had also just cause to mourne and humble themselves they should use all the best helps they could to provoke themselves unto sorrow And surely we should all learne to doe so in this case seeing humiliation for sinne is so necessary and the ministry of the word is a singular meanes to worke our hearts to it we should therefore desire so far as the good order that God hath established in his Church will permit to heare such as whose ministry is most powerfull and effectuall for the softning of a hard heart The second meane wherein we must use the help of others is the benefit of private admonition and reproofe They that would have their hearts softned to be able to mourne and weepe for sin must not bee unwilling to be admonished and reproved for sin in private by some faithfull friend either Minister or other but count it a great benefit and desire it rather First certainly God hath given authority and a straight charge to all his people to watch one over another and to call upon and admonish and reprove one another Heb. 10. 24. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works 2 Thes. 3. 15. Yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne upon him Secondly God hath sanctified and ordained this for a meanes to reclaime poore sinners to bring them to a saving sight and sense of their sinne and keepe them from hardning their hearts in it Matth. 18. 15. If thy brother shall trespasse against thee go and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if not then Verse 16. 17. take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established And if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to heare the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen man and a Publicane As if he had said count not his case desperate till this course have been taken with him Thirdly God hath oft blessed this course wonderfully Mel. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake oft one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought
and returned And Esa. 26. 16. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastning was upon them And we find by experience that at such a time a faithfull Minister may much better worke up on the hearts of men to bring them to remorse and repentance then at another time According to that speach of Elihu Iob 33. 22 24. When a mans soule draweth neere to the grave if there bee then a messenger with him an interpreter one of a thousand to shew unto man his uprightnesse then he is gracious unto him And so speaketh Davidâ—lso â—lso Psal. 94. 12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastnest ô Lord and teachest him out of thy Law This is a singular favour of God when correction and instruction goe together And herein wee are bound to acknowledge the great mercy of God to our Land that in the time of so generall and grievous visitation as hath been upon it he hath put it into the Kings heart to command so much preaching that thereby the hearts of the people might bee effectually wrought upon now the Lord hath so by his judgement prepared them And certainly if in such a time the word doe not work upon mens hearts it will never doe them good Fiftly and lastly When wee feele a secret pensivenesse and sadnesse to come upon our hearts so as they even melt within us like ground that thaweth after a frost so as we could even weepe abundantly this is an excellent season and opportunity to bring our hearts unto godly sorrow in For 1. sadnesse and heavinesse maketh the heart more apt to bee wrought to goodnesse Eccle. 7. 3. Sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better 2. This is the way to turne the streame and current of our sorrow the right way by making our sin our greatest sorrow as indeed it ought to bee because it is the onely just cause of all other our sorrowes Lam. 3. 39. 40. Wherefore doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sinnes Let us search and try our wayes and turne againe unto the Lord. And surely to conclude this first point in this we have all cause to acknowledge our owne folly and to bee humbled for it and to impute that want of grace and ability that is in us to mourne for our sins unto this that wee have neglected these times and seasons whereby we might have beene so much helped in this work We know the fittest seasons for the plowing and breaking up of our ground and we carefully observe them but we know not or care not to observe the fittest seasons for the breaking up of the fallow ground of our hearts which yet concerneth us much more then the other doth Breake up your fâ—llow ground saith the Prophet Ier. 4. 3. and sow not among thornes The second thing wee must doe to worke our hearts to godly sorrow is this after we have made choise of a fit time to goe about this work we must also make choise of a fit place for it even such as wherein we may be most free from all distractions For though this also be but a circumstance yet may it yeeld us some help in all exeâ—cises of devotioÌ„ Christ bids us make choise of a secret place for our private prayer Mat. 6. 6. And so did he himsâ—lfe Mar 1. 35. Hee went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed And Act. 10. 9. Peter went up to the top of the house to pray So though it be no shame for a man to weepe for his sinnes as we have heard Gods people have done abundantly in their solemne fasts yet is a solitary and secret place the fittest to worke our hearts unto godly sorrow Commune with your own hearts upon your beds in secret saith David Psal. 4. 4. and be still Hâ—Zechiah turned his face to the wall when he prayed and wept so sore Esa. 38. 2 3. And Ieremiah 13. 17. saith his soule should weepe in secret And Zâ—ch 12. 12. it is said they should mourne every family apart the husband apart and the wife apart And Ieremy describing the man that is humbled under Gods hand aright saith Lam. 3. 28. Hee sitteth alone and keepeth silence Thirdly When wee have made choise of a fit time and a fit place also for this businesse then must we examine our hearts seriously and impartially And in this examination two things are to be performed by us 1. We must labour to find out and call to mind our sinnes for which wee should bee humbled 2. We must lay them to our hearts and so consider and weigh with our selves the hainousnesse of them and aggravate them against our selves that we may be affected with them For the first Hee that desires to have his heart humbled and to bee able to mourne for his sinnes must labour by diligent search and examination to finde out his sinnes and call them to mind and set them before his face Bring it againe to mind ô yee transgressours saith the Lord Esa. 46. 8. Let not man be affraid or unwilling to doe this To commit sinne is dangerous and hurtfull to thy soule but to call thy sinnes to remembrance hath no danger in it will doe thee no hurt at all to have an enemy or a mortall disease upon thee is dangerous and hurtfull but to be aware of them to know them when thou hast them may doe thee much good Iob knew this well and therefore prayeth earnestly to God to helpe him in this Iob 13. 23. Make mee to know my transgression and my sinne For 1. till then thou canst never truly mourne for thy sin and repent of it Ier. 8. 6. No man repented himselfe of his wickednesse saying what have I done To know in generall and in grosse that thou art a sinner wil never huÌ„ble thee aright thou must know thy sins in particular or thou canst never truely repent This was that that humbled Gods people so in the dayes of Samuel 1 Sam. 12. 19. Wee have added to allour other sinnes this evill to aske a King This was that that humbled those 3000. mentioned Act. 2. 36 37. and pricked them at the heart God made knowne to them their sinne in particular even that hainous sinne of crucifying the Lord of life 2. It is profitable for us in another respect For the more carefull we are to remember our sinnes and call them to mind the more ready will the Lord bee to forget them and cast them behind his back This is plaine by that prayer David maketh Psalm 51. 1 2 3. Have mercy upon me ô God wash me throughly from my iniquity for I know my transgressions and my sinne is ever before mee But if thou strive to forget them never to thinke of them to cast them behind thy back bee thou sure God will remember them and never have them out of his eye Thou hast
saith Moses Psal. 90. 8. set our iniquities before thee our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance But thou wilt say to me What sinnes should I call to mind all that is an endlesse worke I know not where to begin nor where to make an end Psal. 40. 12. They are more in number saith David then the haires of my head How much more wilt thou say are my sins innumerable I answer 1. The more sinnes thou canst call to mind the better it will be for thee This we may see Ezek. 20. 43. where this is promised as a singular grace God would worke in his peoples hearts You shall remember your wayes and all your doings you have beene defiled and yee shall loath your selves in your owne sight for all your evils that ye have committed Therefore also when the Lord prescribeth unto Aaron the course hee should take in making an attonement betweene God and the people he tels him Levit. 16. 21. he must confesse over the live goat all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sinnes And therefore it is good when thou goest about this worke to take the helpe of the glasse set the glasse of Gods Law before thee and examine thy wayes according unto it Rom. 3. 20. By the Law commeth the knowledge of sinne Secondly take heed thou dost not in thy examination willingly forget or passe by any sinne Either 1. out of a conceit that it is but small For Gods curse is due to the smallest Deut. 27. 26 Nor. 2. out of favour thou bearest to it and loathnesse to leave it For if thou regardi niquity in thine heart the Lord will not regard thee Psal. 66. 18. and Prov. 28. 13. Hee that hideth his sin shall not prosper Thirdly and lâ—stly Be thou yet in this examination of thy selfe specially desirous and carefull to call to mind the foulest and grossest of all thy sinnes that ever thou commiettdst though it were long agoe Deut 9. 7. Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wiâ—dernesse Thus did David in the exercising of himâ—selfe unto repentance thinke oft of the sinnes of his youth Psalm 25. 7. Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my transgressions So did Paul oft call to mind his foulest sinnes 1 Tim. 1. 13. I was a blasphemer and a persecuter For the heart will sooner bee brought to remorse and sorrow by remembrance of these then of smaller sinnes which was the cause why the Publicans and Harlots those grosse sinners repented sooner then the civill Pharisees Matth. 21. 32. No hard matter for you that have beene adulterers blasphemers persecuters theeves oppressours drunkards to bring your hearts unto godly sorrow if you would take but a little paines with them You that have lived more civilly as that rich young man had done that concerning the Commandements of the second Table could say unto Christ Matthew 19. 20. All these things have I kept from my youth up must take the more paines in this work The second thing we must doe in this examination of our selves is this When we have found out and called to mind our sinnes then must wee consider and weigh with our selves the hainousnesse of them aggravate them against our selves and lay them so to heart as we may bee affected and moved to remorse and sorrow for them Men are oft blamed for this that they laid not their sinnes to their heart considered not so of them as to bee affected with them Esay 47. 7. The Caldeans are blamed that they did not lay to their hearts the oppressions they had done to Gods people And the Iewes Esay 57. 11. that they laid not to heart their Idolatry Now the way to lay them to our heart is to consider well the hainousnesse of them and the circumstances whereby they are aggravated Paâ—l did use thus to aggravate his sinnes against himselfe Ephe. 3. 8. I am lesse then the least of all Saints 1 Tim. 1. 15. I am the chief of all sinners The circumstances whereby sinne is aggravated are many I will name a few of them First Consider thy sinnes have beene committed against many and strong meanes of grace Remember what Christ saith Matth. 11. 24. to Capernaum because of this I say unto thee that it shall bee more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement then for thee Oh! consider with thy selfe that if the sinnes of Indians and other barbarous people that never enjoyed any ordinary meanes of grace shall justly be punished in Hell fire as doubtlesse they shall For as many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law saith the Apostle Rom. 2. 12. If the sinnes of Infants doe justly deserve damnation as certainly they doe Death hath raigned saith he Rom. 5. 14. even over them that have not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression that is not actually What degree and measure of punishment and torment thinkest thou is most justly due to thy sinnes that have beene committed against such meanes of grace as thou hast enjoyed Secondly Thy sinnes have not beene committed upon ignorance but against thy knowledge And if the elect Iewes were so pricked in heart for the sinne they committed ignorantly Act. 3. 17. how much more cause hast thou Remember what Christ saith of this circumstance Luk. 12. 47. That servant which knew his Lords will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes Thirdly How voluntary thou hast sinned how weake and light the tentations have often beene that have drawne thee to it nay how thou hast drawne and provoked thy selfe to it And say thou to thine owne heart If God were so much offended with Ahab though he had so strong a tempter as Iesabel his wife I Kings 21. 25. Alas what cause hath he to bee offended with mee that have beene mine owne tempter Remember what the Holy Ghost speaketh of this circumstance Esay 33. 1 Woe to thee that spoilest and wast not spoiled 5. 18. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity sin as it were with a cart rope Fourthly The◠〈◊〉 â—â—mber of thy sinnes Say they were in their 〈…〉 so small yet the number of them and thy multiplyiâ—g of them so ofâ— makes the burden â—f them intolerable Consider how the Lord aggravates sinne by this circumstance Ier. 5. 6. A Lyon out of the forrest shall slay them and a Wolfe of the eveningâ— shall spoile them a Leopard shall watch over their cities every one that goeth out thence shall be torne in pieces because their transgressions are many and their backslidings are increased See what weight this very circumstance gave unto Davids sinne in the sense of his Conscience Mine iniquities saith he Psal. 40. 12. are more then the haires of mine head therefore mine heart faileth mee The sands though taken severally they
be very small yet many heaped together will make an intollerable burden Iob 6. 3. Iob saith his grief was heavier then the sand of the Sea If for one sinne Adam was so terrified that he fled from God Gen. 3. 8. what cause of terrour have I maist thou well say to thine owne soule Fiftly How oft thou hast relapsed and fallen backe againe into the same sin that thy heart hath smitten thee for and thou hast repented of and covenanted with God that thou wouldst forsake it returning with the dogge to that thou hast loathed and vomited up 2 Pet. 2. 22. An arme once broken cannot be cured without paine but if often the cure will be more dangerous and painefull If thou hadst broken thy promises and covenants with men thou wouldst count it a matter of infamy and shame unto thee what cause of shame is it then that thou hast broken thy promises unto God See also how this circumstances doth aggravate sinne Eccle. 5. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God deferre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fouls Sixtly How thou hast by thy sinne corrupted others whereof it may bee some are in Hell already and some in the way to Hâ—ll and thou canst not draw them unto repentance Indeed if thou canst truly repent this shall not hinder thy salvation that thou hast beene a meane of the damning of others for so was Paul Act. 26. 11. Yet must it needs be a heart-breaking to thee whensoever thou dost seriously thinke of it all the dayes of thy life and so was it unto Paul If thou hadst beene the meane to undoe another in his outward estate much more if thou hadst taken away his life it would be a just cause of heavinesse to thee how much more cause of humbling is it that thou hast beene a meane of destroying the soule of any Matth. 18. 7. Woe to the man by whom the offence cometh Ier. 6. 28. they are brasse and iron they are corrupters Seventhly consider the person against whom thou hast sinned Psal. 51. 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned And consider the Lord 1. in his greatnesse and excellency of power and justice If one man sinne against another saith Ely to his sonnes 1 Sâ—m 2. 25. the judge shall judge him but if a man sinne against the Lord who shall intreat for him 2. But specially in his goodnesse towards thy selfe Consider that that God whom thou hast offendâ—d thou dost not onely live by Act. 17. 28. but also hee is of that gracious difposition that notwithstanding all thy rebellions he would not have thee perish For 1. he is apt to forgive thee upon thy repenâ—ance Esa. 55. 7. 2. He hath proclaimed a generall pâ—rdon and not excluded thee Ioh. 3. 16. but will have it offred unto thee Mar. 16. 15. 3. Hee seâ—kes to thee to be reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. 4 He hath done more for thee hee loves thee with the love of a father for to such specially I speake and thou hast received the spirit of adoption whereby thou art able to cry Abba father Rom. 8. 15. Consider well of this and it will have more force to mollifie thy heart then any thing else in the world The sense of our desperate estate without this may make us roare and rave and rage against the Lord like a wild Bull in a net as the Prophet speaketh Esay â—1 20. but nothing will humble the heart so kindly nor make it melt in godly sorrow as the true consideration of this love of God Psal. 130. 4. there is forgivenesse with thee that thou mayest bee feared It was not the crowing of the Cock twice that made Peters heart melt but the gracious looke that Christ cast upon him Luke 22. 61 62. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter then Peter remembred the Word of the Lord and Peter went out and wept bitterly This was that that wrought upon the heart of the prodigall Luk. 15. 18. I will arise and goe to my father and I will say father I have sinned And so must thou say to thine owne heart if ever thou wouldst have it to melt and thine eyes shed teares for thy siâ—nes It is my father my father that I have so offended Say to it as Moses doth to the Iewes Deut. 32. 6. Have I 〈◊〉 requited the Lord O foolish and ungratious wretch that I am Is hee not my father hath he not made mee and established mee The fourth and last thing we must doe to bring our hearts unto this godly sorrow is fervent prayer For thou must 1. complaine to God of the hardnes of thy heart as Esa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou hardned my heart from thy feare 2. Begge this grace of him and cry to him for it That which the Apostle saith of wisdome may bee said of this grace also Iam. 1. 5. If any of you lacke a soft heart let him aske of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him 3. Challeng him with his promise and in a holy reverence charge him with that covenant mentioned Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And Zach. 12. 10. I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall looke upon mee whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him as one that mourneth for his onely sonne and be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne 4. Bee importunate in this suite as one that will take no nay nor give it over till thou hast obtained it as David Psal. 27. 4. and the woman of Canaan Mat. 15. 27. 5. Waite for an answer and pray still limit not the Lord his time Lâ—ke 18. 1 Wee ought alwayes to pray and not to faint Consider how oft the Lord called upon thee before thou didst answer him and how long hee waited for thee Romans 10. 21. All the day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gaine-saying people Remember that promise Esay 49. 23. They shall not bee ashamed or disappointed that wait for mee SERMON VIII August 2. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed to â—hew you the signes and notes whereby wee may bee able to discerne whether wee have beene yet rightly humbled for our sinnes whether that sorrow for sinne that we have felt in our selves be unfeigned yea or no whether it be that saving sorrow of Gods elect unto which all these promises of comfort and mercy that we have heard of doe belong And surely it is a matter of great use and necessity to have notes given us out of Gods Word to try our humiliation and sorrow for sinne by First Because as it is certaine our sinnes are not pardoned unlesse we have truly repented of them Act. 5. 31. Christ giveth repentance to
sinnes that have provoked God to those judgements trouble him most I will declare mine iniquitie saith David Psal. 38. 18. and be sory for my sinne And Ezek. 7. 16. They shall be on the mountaines like the dâ—ves of the valleyes all of them mourning every man for 〈◊〉 iniquity Yea even wheÌ„ Gods judgements do presse and humble him most yet â—he is more troubled for his sinne then for the affliction that is upon him as wee shall see in that prayer of David Psal. 25. 18. Looke upon my affliction and my paine and forgive all my sinnes And so it is said of Gods people in Ezras time when the Lord by a judgement of immoderate raine had testified his displeasure against them Ezra 10. 9 They trembled because of this matter their sinne in marrying Idolaters and for the great raine Their sinne was the chief thing they trembled for Let us then examine our sorrow by this first note alas many blesse themselves in this that they have beene much given to sorrow and heavinesse 1. If sorrow be good saith many a one I have had enough of that Yea upon this they ground their hope that they shall escape the wrath to come because they have endured so much sorrow in this life I have had my punishment in this life saith he Alas poore wretch of all thy sorrowes that thou hast endured I may say as our Saviour doth in another case Mat. 24. 8. All these are but the beginning of sorrows worldly sorrowes are but the beginning of hellish sorrowes The Devils also beleeve and tremble after this sort as the Apostle speaketh Iam. 2. 19. They are troubled exceedingly more then ever thou couldst be with the apprehension and sense of the punishment which they undoubtedly bâ—leeve is prepared for them 2. Many of you are oft troubled with sadnesse and heavinesse of heart and can say as Iob 23. 16. God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth me O that thou couldst turne the streame of thy sorrow the right way from sorrowing for thy affliction to sorrowing for thy sinne One houre spent in sorrowing for thy sin will yeeld thee more true comfort then a thousand spent in sorrowing for thy affliction will doe 3. And we all now assembled to professe our humiliation for the manifold tokens of Gods anger upon his Church and this land must examine the truth of our hearts in this whether we can aswell mourne for the sinnes of the land as for the judgements of God that are upon it and are threatned against it See a notable example of this in Nehemiah Chap. 1. when he heard of the great affliction and reproach Gods people were in at Ierusalem verse 3. How the wals of Ierusalem were broken downe and the gates thereof burnt with fire he sat downe and wept and mourned certaine dayes and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven as he saith verse 4. But what is it that most humbled and troubled his heart in this his fast Surely not so much the judgement whereby God had shewed himselfe to be angry with them as their sinnes whereby they had made him angry as you shall see verse 6. 7. and surely the sinnes of the land ought to trouble us more then any of the judgements either persent or imminent though they bee very great and fearefull For 1. they give us cause to feare far heavier then these be and God hath said of England as hee said once of the Kingdome of Iuda Ezek. 21. 27. I will overturne everturne overturne it and it shall be no more 2. If it were not for the sinnes of the land these judgements would vanish or doe us no hurt at all 1 Cor. 15. 56. The sting of death is sinne And of one sinne the sinne of Idolatry specially being openly committed and alas our land standeth guilty of that and of many more it is said Exod. 32. 25. Moses saw though every blind foole could not see it that the people were naked for Aaron had made them naked to their shame before their enemies Alas the sinnes of the land make us naked to our enemies abroad and to our treacherous and bloudy Papists at home do what we can to defend and arme our selves till our sinnes be repented of till they be removed we shall be found to be a naked people We cannot stand before our enemies till the accursed thing till Achâ—n betaken away Iosh. 7. 13. and alas we have many Achans amongst us So many of you therefore as have hearts that can mourne that can be humbled mourne for the sinnes of the land and by the first note approve unto God and to your owne hearts the truth of your humiliation that you professe this day And so much for the first note Secondly He that is truly humbled mourneth for sinne not so much in respect to himselfe of the hurt and danger that his sinne bringeth upon himselfe as in respect to God because he is offended and dishonoured by his sinne Saving sorrow is therefore called 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sorrow that respecteth God and is opposed to worldly sorrow that respecteth onely the crosses and miseries that sinne maketh us subject unto I graunt 1. It is not unlawfull to bee troubled for sinne even out of respect to the punishment and misery that it will bring upon us As a man may have respect to this in his feare that keepeth him from committing sinne so may he also in his sorrow for it after it is committed Iob giveth this for a reason why he durst not sinne For destruction from God saith he Iob 31. 23. was a terrour to me And so doth Paul 2 Cor. 5. 11. Knowing therefore the terrours of the Lord we persuade men 2. Sound and saving humiliation for sinne useth to begin in this legall compunction and terror which hath respect onely to the misery that sinne bringeth us to And not one of an hundred doe ever come to mourne for sinne in respect to God till they have first learned to mourne for sinne in respect to themselves this prepareth maketh way for and draweth in the other as the prick of the needle doth the threed So it is said of those three thousand that were converted by Peter Act. 2. 37. that they were first pricked in their hearts that is with this legall sorrow and feare But though this bee a lawfull and good thing to mourne and be troubled for sinne even in respect of the misery it maketh us obnoxious unto yet is not this sufficient to prove our humiliation and sorrow for sinne to be sound and sincere for many an hypocrite hath gone so farre they have beene greatly humbled and troubled for their sinnes O how Pharaoh complained and cried out of his sinne Exod. 9. 27. He saith to Moses and Aaron I have sinned the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked And so did Iudas Mat. 27. 3. 4. He repented himselfe cryed out saying
a great feast Mar. 14. 5. 8. fals into a meditation and speech of his death and buriall And this was also it seemes the reason why sundry good men were wont to make their sepulchers in their gardens the places of their greatest solace and delight So we read that Mâ—nâ—sses did after his humiliation and repentance 2 King 21. 18. And so did Ioseph of Arimathea also as wee may see Ioh. 19. 41. Secondly nothing would have more force then this to restraine us from sinne and to breed in us a care to please God in all things This reason is given in that prayer Psal. 90. 12. So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome If we could number our dayes well and consider how few they are like to be this would make us apply our hearts to wisdome and piety more seriously than we do Experience shewes this even in the worst men O what Saints seeme many of them to be in their extreme sicknesse How fearfull are they then to offend God in any thing Nay no man almost is so desperately wicked that durst do any thing his conscience knew to be sinne if he thought he must die instantly so soone as he had done it Durst any man give himselfe liberty to be drunke if he considered he might die while he is drunke as Elah did 2 King 16. 9 10. Or durst any man commit whoredome if he could seriously thinke of this that God might strike him suddenly even while he is in that filthy act as he did Zimri and Cozby Numb 25. 8. Therefore also we shall find this oft noted for a chiefe cause of many grosse sins that men live in even the wilfull forgetting of their change and putting it out of their mind David speaking of the prophane man Psal. 10. 4. who through the pride of his countenance will not seeke after God God is not in all his thoughts giveth this for a reason of all this prophanenesse Verse 6. He hath said in his heart I shall not be moved I shall never be in adversity And the Prophet speaking of unjust and cruell men that did oppresse the poore gives this for the reason of it Amos 6. 3. because they did by all meanes put out of their minds the thought of their death and the judgement that they must come unto Ye put farre away saith he the evill day and cause the seat of violence to come neare Thirdly and lastly nothing would be of more force to worke in us a care to prepare our selves for death that it may not take us at unawares before we be ready for it then this if we would oft and seriously think of it And this would be doubtlesse a great benefit and advantage unto us This is a point of true wisdome and ought to be the chiefe care of every Christian to provide that he may die well Heare counsâ—ll and receive instruction saith Salomon Proverb 19. 20. that thou maist be wise at thy latter end This is one maine end we should aime at in all our hearing and seeking knowledge that we may learne to die well This was the Apostles chiefe care that he might finish his course with joy Act. 20. 24. And on the other side it is the most dangerous and wofull negligence that a man can fall into not to prepare before hand and provide that he may die well O it is a most miserable thing for death to take us at unawares before we be ready Take heed to your selves saith our Saviour Luke 21 36. that that come not upon you unawares Sudden death certainly is a kind of temporall judgement even unto the best men and so farre forth may be prayed against because the best man is not so well prepared for death in the time of his health and prosperity but he hath just cause to desire and endeavour also to prepare himselfe better for it before he die True it is we should be at all times as Gods people were when they did eat the passeover Exod. 12. 11. with their loines girded their shoes on their feet and their staves in their hand ready to passe from this Egypt unto our heavenly Canaan But though every man should be yet no man is so well prepared at all times as he ought to be But sudden death is to a wicked man that is not at all prepared for it more then a temporall judgement Though a man have made his will before-hand and have it in a readinesse lying by him yet may he esteeme it a good temporall blessing when his last sicknesse whereby God visits him is not so violent but he may be able to review it and adde or alter some small things in it before his death And on the other side it may justly be accounted a temporall judgement upon him when God takes him away with a dead Palsie or Apoplexy that would disable him from doing so much And yet if he do die of such a disease the matter is not great because he had made his will before and disposed of his maine estate according to his mind But it is we know a matter of great danger and inconvenience for a rich man that hath not made his will before to be taken with such a sicknesse at his end And even so is it in this case Sudden death is no such judgement to Gods child who is for the maine prepared for it as it is to the wicked man who is not at all prepared for it It is certainly a dangerous and fearfull thing for a man to live out of Gods favour and void of grace at any time but to die in that estate is the very up-shot of all misery And so the Holy Ghost speaketh of it Eliphaz speaking of the extreme unhappinesse of wicked men he concludes it thus Iob 4. 21. They even die without wisdome saith he as if he should say and what can be said more to prove them most wretched men So speaketh the Prophet when he would describe the misery of the man that hath gotten a great deale of wealth by oppression and fraud Ier. 17. 11. at his end he shall be a foole saith he he shal be utterly void of true wisdome and grace even when he dies And this must needs be so because there is no possibility of repenting and turning unto God of recovering his favour or obtaining any grace from him after death He that dies without grace must to judgement presently so soone as he is dead Heb. 9. 27. And hell followes with death saith the Holy Ghost Rev. 6. 8. q. d. they go hand in hand as judgement is immediately passed upon them that die out of Gods favour so hell is ready presently â—o receive them Now this Doctrine which you have heard thus opened and confirmed unto you is of great use First to reprove and condemne us all of great folly and madnesse 1. None of us are so carefull to nourish this thought and meditation in our
hearts so desirous or willing to thinke of our death and future estate as we ought to be Nay 2. Most of us do wilfully refuse to thinke of death but abandon this thought by all meanes and use our utmost endeavour to keep it out of our hearts as the Persian Kings were wont to keep all mourners out of their gates Esth. 4 2. Nay 3. which is worst of all many of us for this very cause will not think of our end but banish by all meanes this meditation out of our hearts that we may sinne the more freely And with those vile men that I told you the Prophet complaines of Amos 6. 3. we put farre away the evill day of purpose that we may cause the seat of violence to come neare that without feare and checke of conscience we may run headlong into all excesse of riot that we can devise Secondly this Doctrine serves to exhorte us all to prepare for death For that is the chief reason as we have heard why we should remember and thinke of it so oft And this preparation consisteth in two things principally First We must labour to weane our hearts daily from the overmuch love of all earthly things and inure our selves to beare willingly the daily and ordinary crosses we are subject to in this life nothing makes us so unwilling and unfit to dye as the immoderate love of earthly things They are in themselves certainly Gods good blessings and he doth of his goodnesse and bounty allow us to use and enjoy them not for our necessity onely but even for our delight and comfort also he giveth us richly all things to enjoy saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 6. 17. But the love of them is a most deadly enemy to grace specially unto this grace of dying willingly and comfortably That which the Apostle saith of the love of mony 1 Tim. 6. 10. that it is the root of all evill and cause why many are even pierced thorow with many sorrows the truth whereof is never more seene then when they are to dye may be likewise said of the love of any other worldly thing Love not the world saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 2. 15. neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him For this cause it was that our blessed Saviour when he would prepare his disciples for persecution death bears so much upon these points First That they would take heed of esteeming too highly of or overloving any of the comforts of this life Secondly That they would learne to beare willingly the ordinary crosses God is pleased to exercise them with He that loveth father or mother saith he Mat. 10. 37 38. more then me is not worthy of mee and he that loveth sonne or daughter more then me is not worthy of mee And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth after me is not worthy of me And he said to them all Luke 9. 23. if any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse daily and follow mee And so the Apostle saith of himselfe 1 Cor. 15. 31. that he did dye daily that is by his willing forsaking of the comforts of this life and bearing of those daily crosses that he was subject unto he learned to dye every day Secondly Our preparation for death consisteth in our care to dispatch without delay and with all diligence those things of most importance which must needs be done before we dye Because we doe not know how soone nor how suddenly death may take us Thus wee see the harvest man and travailer that are afraid to be benighted are wont to doe And we have Christs owne example for this I must worke the works of him that sent me saith he Iohn 9. 4. while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke And what is that businesse of importance will you say that we must thus dispatch without delay if we would be well prepared to dye Surely to make this sure to our selves that whensoever we dye our soules shall goe to Heaven When this businesse is once done we shall be able to dye confidently and comfortably when once we know as the Apostle speaketh of himselfe and of others of the faithfull also 2 Cor. 5. 1. that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were disolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens then we may sâ—y as he also doth there verse 8. Therfore we are alwayes confident knowing that whilest wee are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. It is held a good point of wisdome for a man specially if he be one that hath much to dispose to have his will alwayes in a readinesse And indeed so it is for it is commanded of God set thine house in order saith the Lord by his Prophet unto Hezechia Esa. 38. 1. for thou must dye and not live But there is one thing more needfull then that is even to set oursoules in order and to have them alwayes in a readinesse This is that one thing that is needfull of which our Saviour speaketh Luke 10. 42. It stands us upon to make our peace with God and to acquaint our selves well with him before we dye or else with what comfort can we goe unto him and appeare before him then yea we had need do it now in time of our health and without delay Acquaint thyselfe now with God saith Eliphas to Iob 22. 21 and make peace I because death commeth upon many and may doe upon us sodenly for man knoweth not his times saith Salomon Eccl. 9. 12. as the fishes that are taken in an evill net and as the birds that are caught in the snare so are the sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it cometh suddenly upon them 2. When extremity of sicknesse comes we shall be most unfit then to set our soules in order to begin our acquaintance with God or to make our peace with him Remember now thy Creatour saith Salomon Eccles. 12. 1. in the dayes of thy youth while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares drawnigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them He thought age an unfit time to begin this worke in but our last sicknesse is certainly a more unfit time for it than age is Then the mind of man is wont to be so distracted and troubled what with worldly cares for them that he shall leave behind him what with the extremity of paines that use to accompany sicknesse and specially with the terrours that rise from the apprehension of his future estate and from Satans temptations that he is not made uncapable of comfort or direction by the best meanes that can bee brought unto him When Moses that excellent servant of God one of a thousand came to the Israelites at such a time though the message he brought to them were as comfortable
and quietnesse of conscience that seemes to be in that man that was never troubled nor disquieted in his mind for his sinnes Because the spirit of bondage and feare useth to go before the spirit of adoption and comfort as is plaine by the Apostles speech Rom. 8. 15. 3. And lastly it is certainly a grievous judgement of God and such as we should all tremble at to see a man that hath beene in his whole life time notoriously wicked to have no sight at all nor trouble of mind for his sinnes before he dies Our Saviour pronounceth them to be happy men Mat. 5. 3 4 6. that are so poore in spirit that they mourne for it and hunger and thirst after righteousnesse And if this be a blessed thing in every child of God how unblameable and civill soever his life hath been at all times even in the time of his best health and prosperity to see and feele in himselfe so just cause of mourning and trouble of mind as breeds in him an unsatiable desire after the righteousnesse of God in Christ then must it needs be a most wofull and cursed thing in a man that hath been notoriously wicked to be void of all sight and sense of his sinnes of all trouble of mind for them even then when he is summoned by sicknesse and death to appeare before the judgement-seat of God to go to hell in a sleep and never to have his conscience awakened till he come there And indeed so the Prophet speaketh of this as of a most dreadfull judgement of God when he gives up wicked men unto this blindnesse and senslesnesse of heart The Lord hath powred out upon you saith he Esa. 29. 10. the spirit of deepe sleepe and hath closed your eyes so as you cannot see nor be sensible of your owne estate But we see also on the other side in daily experience say some that many who have seemed most religious in all their life time and carefull to live well have yet shewed very great unwillingnesse and feare to die more a great deale then other men usually do To this I have two things to answer First that it is indeed possible enough even for a faithfull and godly man to feele in himselfe an unwillingnesse and feare to die Good Hezechia wept sore Esa. 38. 3. when the Prophet brought him word in his sicknesse that he must die and not live and David also prayed oft against death and that he might live still Psal. 6. 4 5. and 30. 8 9. and 88. 9 12. It is with many of Gods people in this case as it was with Lot when he would leave Sodom Though Lot had so small comfort in Sodom while he lived in it 2 Pet. 2. 8. yet see how unwilling he was to part with it Gen. 19. 16. He lingred so that the Angels were faine to pull him out as it were by strong hand they laid hold upon his hand saith the sacred text the Lord being mercifull unto him and brought him forth and set him without the City Some unwillingnesse to die our Saviour tels Peter he should find in himselfe even then when he should suffer martyrdome for his sake When thou shalt be old saith he Ioh. 21. 18. thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carie thee whither thou wouldest not And there is good reason to be given for this For 1. Death being a great enemie to the nature of man and even the dissolution of it there must needs be in all men naturally some feare of it Such as haue beene long and inward and deare friends cannot part for adieu as we say without much unwillingnesse and expression of griefe as we see in the example of Ionathan and David 1 Sam. 20. 41. And where were ever found in the world so long inward dear friends as the soule and body have beene 2. Who can thinke of his personall appearance before the Majesty of God without some feare 3. Lastly the best of Gods servants though they know and believe that when they die they shall not come into condemnation as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 5. 24. but are already passed from death unto life and therefore have no just cause in respect of their future estate to feare death at all but rather to welcome it and to rejoyce in it yet are they regenerated and consequently do believe but in part And though the spirit the regenerate part indeed be willing as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 26. 41. yet the flesh the unregenerate part will be apt to shew it selfe weake and unwilling to die But then I answer secondly that there is no man that hath lead a godly life but 1. He discernes and bewailes his owne corruption in this his unwillingnesse to die he yeelds not to it but strives against it by all meanes and even in this case finds in himselfe that combate betweene the flesh and the spirit that the Apostle speakes of Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusâ—eth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other 2. He doth in the end overcome this corruption and is by Gods grace made most willing and desirous to die before God cals and takes him away according to that gracious promise made unto all Gods people to all that have been carefull to serve and please him Psal. 29. 11. The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace But then there is yet another thing objected against this that hath been said touching the assurance they may have to die happily and well that have been carefull to live religiously and well namely that many who have beene most precisely religious have not onely beene void of comfort when they should die but full of terrour in their conscience calling in question the truth of their faith and of whatsoever goodnesse hath seemed to be in them apt to despaire utterly of the mercy of God in Christ. My answer to this objection must consist of three branches 1. It is possible indeed even for a man that hath lived a most innocent and holy life to expresse in his last sicknesse much terrour and to breake forth into speeches that tend unto desperation and even unto blasphemy also against God For 1. There is no disease so violent and extreme but the child of God may be subject unto it and die of it also aswell as any other man All things come alike to all in this respect as Salomon speaketh Eccl. 9. 2. And these things that are objected as causlesse feares and terrours ravings blasphemies fierce speeches and actions both against themselves and others are knowne to be the very naturall effects of some violent and extreme diseases 2. It cannot be denyed but that Satan also is wont to shew the uttermost of his fury and power against Gods servants in their last sicknesse The last combate that they have with him
l have sinned and have done wickedly but these sheepe what have they done He knew well that not the sinnes of those that perished in that grievous plague but his owne sinnes had a chiefe hand in provoking GOD unto that judgement So that we see that there is no one man amongst us all that hath not just reason to be affected with GODS judgements upon the Land though himselfe be spared seeing that he is a cause of it as well as they that are smitten and it may be as great a cause as they nay it may be a greater cause than any of them were And this was that that made good Nehemiah cry thus in his prayer unto GOD Neh. 1. 6. Both I and my fathers house have sinned As if he had said that Ierusalem prospers no better I and my fathers house are as great a cause as any other We have heard the Doctrine which this example of David teacheth us delivered and confirmed in a generall manner let us now come to make use of it and to apply it to our owne case and to the occasion of our meeting at this time This Doctrine therefore serveth to exhort us unto two duties 1. That we would labour to take to heart and to be rightly affected with this judgement of GOD that is now upon London and sundry other parts of the Kingdome 2. That when we are rightly affected with it we would make right use of it to our selves For the first You will say it is a needlesse exhortation for who is not affected with this plague who is not affraid of it and wherefore come we hither els if we be not affected with it I answer That none of us I feare are sufficiently affected with it and that this is the fountaine and foundation of all good uses we can make of it either for their benefit that are visited with it or for our selves that we would labour to be affected with this judgement of GOD as we ought to be I will therefore shew you what just causes we have to be deeply affected with this judgement And they are principally three First In respect of the grievousnesse of the judgement it selfe For wee shall finde this called one of GODS sore judgements Ezek. 14. 21. And when the LORD threatens that Hee Himselfe would fight against Ierusalem with an out-stretched hand and a strong arme even in anger and in fury and in great wrath Ier. 21. 5. He tels them in the next Verse how He would do this He would smite the city with a great pestilence Certainly the LORD therefore now fights against our Land yea He fighteth against it in fury and in great wrath Observe foure things in this judgement 1. What a waster it is Psal. 91. 6. it is called the destruction that wasteth at noone-day In a short time even in three dayes it consumed seventy thousand in Israel 2 Sam. 24. 15. A grievous judgement it must needs be when GOD Himselfe matcheth a pestilence of three dayes continuance as a thing of equall force to afflict and destroy with a famine of seven yeares and with flying by the space of three moneths before their enemies that pursued them as we know He doth 2 Sam. 24. 13. And hath not the pestilence that GOD hath now sent into our Land proved a terrible waster when in one weeke in one City it hath swept away three thousand five hundred eighty two 2. Consider how suddenly it takes them away that have beene smitten with it many that were well in the morning have beene dead of it before night it is therefore called the LORDS arrow Psal. 91. 5. It strikes and pierceth men suddenly with a deadly wound and Vers. 6. it is said to walke in darknesse And certainly sudden death though it be not absolutely to be prayed against yet it is to be esteemed a temporall judgement and a signe of GODS anger Let destruction come upon him at unawares saith the Prophet here Vers. 8. It must needs add much to the bitternesse of death when it comes so suddenly that a man can neither commend himselfe to GOD nor set things in order for the world before he die 3. Consider it is such a judgement as oft makes men destroyers of them whom they most love and desire to keepe alive the father setting at unawares the infection upon the child the husband on the wife a man on his dearest friend A great cause of humbling it is for a man to have killed any other man at unawares as you may see by that law Numb 35. 28. and what is it then to have killed them that are dearest to them 4. It is such a sicknesse as doth usually debarre men of many comforts that other sicke persons do enjoy First many that are visited with this sicknesse do want convenient attendance and lodging dying in the streets and high-wayes of whom that may be said Esa. 51. 20. Thy sonnes have fainted they lie at the head of all streets the fury of the LORD the rebuke of thy GOD. Secondly their friends dare not visit them which as it is a worke of mercy so it is a great meanes of comfort to the afflicted and such as CHRIST hath enjoyned us Mat. 25. 36. 3. Whereas none have so much need of spirituall comfort as they because the very disease makes them more subject to terrors and feares than others and is therefore called the terrour by night Psal. 91. 5. they poore wretches can have none to comfort them but may in anguish of soule cry out Lam. 1. 16. The comforter that should relieve my soule is farre from me So that in respect of this first consideration the grievousnesse of the judgement it selfe they may cry to us all and to all GODS people throughout the Land as Lam. 1. 12. Is it nothing to you all ye that passe by Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of His anger And will you not be affected with it Secondly if this will not serve come to a second cause we have to be deeply affected with it because none of us can tell how farre it may go how neare it may come to our owne dwellings In which respect though we may say as Namb. 16. 46. we are sure wrath is gone out from the LORD the plague is begun yet as the Psalmist saith Psal. 74. 9. There is not amongst us any that knoweth how long it will last or how farre it will spread Let no man say I am farre enough from London I dwell in a good ayre and we have taken good order to prevent all danger of this infectioâ—s disease no carriers shall come from thence to us no Londoners shall lodge amongst us These are good meanes I will not deny if they be used with that compassion that becomes Christians to shew unto them in misery and must not be neglected But all these cannot secure us from
Israel and forgivenesse of sinnes Soe is it as certaine we never truly repented of our sinnes if wee have not unfeignedly sorrowed and mourned for them 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation Wee must be made though not equall yet conformable to Christ in his death and passion as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 3. 10. or we shall never reigne with him This is a faithfull saying saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2. 11. 12. if wee â—ee dead with him wee shall also live with him if we suffer with him wee shall also reigne with him And this was a cheif part of his passion wherein we must be conformable unto him When he suffred for our sinnes Mat. 26. 37. He began to be sorrowfull and very heavy insomuch as he could not containe but must needs acquaint his three Disciples with it verse 38. Then saith he unto them my soule is exceeding sorrowfull even unto death When he suffred for our sinnes hee wept abundantly as the Apostle saith Heb. 5. 7. He offred up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares We cannot sorrow and weepe in that measure as he did for our sinnes but we must sorrow in our measure as he did we must be made conformable to him in his passion as you have heard or wee shall never have part in him We must either mourne as Peter did with a saving sorrow Mat. 26. 75. or wee shall mourne as Iudas did with a desperate sorrow Mat. 27. 3 5. We must either now in this life mourn for our sinnâ—s as we have heard all Gods servants have done or we shall certainly herafter cry for sorrow of heart as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 65. 14. and houle for vexation of spirit in Hell where shall bee nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth as our Saviour speaketh Luk. 13. 28. where their worme never dyeth and the fire never shall be quenched Mar. 9. 44. Secondly Because men are very apt to bee deceived in this point and to thinke they have beene rightly humbled and have rightly sorrowed for their sinnes when indeed they have not We read of the hypocrites expostulation with God Esa. 58. 3. They had afflicted their soules and God tooke no knowledge of it Zach. 7. 3 5. They had mourned and wept in their fasts and the Lord saith of them they had not done it unto him they had their owne ends in it Yea it is certaine many hypocrites doe indeed mourne and are exceedingly humbled sometimes You know the Lord giveth this testimony of Ahab himselfe that he was humbled 1 Kings 21. 29. And yet as good never a whit as never the better their sorrow and humiliation is to no purpose at all because it is not sound and sincere Thirdly Because many of Gods children that are indeed true mourners are apt to doubt of themselves and to complaine their hearts are so hard that they cannot mourne for their sinnes ô if they had soft and melting hearts that they could sorrow that they could weep for sinne they were in an happy case but alas they cannot Thus Gods Church and people complaine unto God Esâ— 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou hardned our heart Seeing therefore it is as you see in these three respects a matter of so great necessity to have a sure direction given us out of Gods Word how to discerne that humiliation of soule and sorrow for sinne that is sincere and saving from that that is counterfait I will give you some principall notes of differences betweene them whereby they may be judged of And these are to bee referred to foure heads The first is from the object of our sorrow and humiliation the thing the matter that we are grieved and humbled for The second from the measure and degree of our sorrow The third from the cause that breedeth it in us and fountaine from whence it floweth The fourth and last from the effects and fruits that proceed from it For the first If we desire to know whether we were ever yet rightly humbled or whether we doe still remaine in the hardnesse and impenitency of our hearts we must examine what it is that hath troubled us and made us to mourne First He that is truly humbled mourneth for the evill of sinne rather then for the evill of punishment It is no ill signe to mourne and to be humbled under the judgements of God Nay it is our duty to be so and a passing ill signe it is of an ungratious heart not to be affected with the judgements of God not to be troubled when the Lord sheweth himselfe to be angry with us The Prophet complaineth of this as of a great sinne Ier. 5. 3. O Lord thou hast stricken them and they have not grieved It is said of Gods people Ezr. 10. 9. that they trembled because of the great raine And David and the Elders of Israel humbled themselves greatly for the plague that God sent upon the land 2 Sam. 24. 17. And so did Iehoshaphat when God threatned an invasion 2 Chron. 20. 3. When the state and government of the Kingdome of Israel in the dayes of Saul was so broken and out of order had so many breaches in it that it did even shake and totter as ready to fall and come to ruine as the Prophet complaineth Psal. 60. 2. Gods people were so troubled with the sensible token of Gods displeasure that they were euen astonished with it thou hast made us to drinke the wine of astonishment as the Prophet speaketh verse 3. And certainly this is a dangerous signe that our people generally are given up of God to a marvellous hardnesse of heart that the Lord having by all these tokens of his anger cald us to weeping and to mourning as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 22. 12. we have beene generally given to asmuch jollity in these times as ever we were Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord God of Hosts as it followeth there verse 14. Yet though it be a good thing to be humbled under Gods judgements this is not enough to prove our humiliation to bee sound and sincere Many an hypocrite hath gone so farre Thus farre Ahab went ô how he was humbled at the hearing of that fearefull judgement that God threatned by the Prophet to bring upon him and his house 1 King 21. 29. Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himselfe Thus farre Iehoram his sonne and as bad a man almost as he went when a grievous famine was upon the land he greatly humbled himselfe for though he were a King he wore sackcloth not as his upper garment as the manner was to expresse their humiliation outwardly but secretly next his skin 2 King 6. 30. See how farre an hypocrite may goe in humbling himselfe under Gods judgements But the true repentant though he is humbled for and can mourne for Gods judgements yet that is neither the onely nor the chief cause of his sorrow his