Prophets with the sword and I only am left and they seek my life to take it away I have been very jealous for the Lord of Hosts indeed we would count him an unnaturall Son that should stand by see and heare his Father abused and dishonoured and though he could not hinder it should not at least expresse himselfe to be grieved and troubled at it and surely we have just cause to suspect our selves to be bastards and not Sons if we can stand by when our Heavenly Father is dishonoured in word or deed and not so much as shed a teare for the same we are not of that Spirit that the Children of God were wont to be of Moses when he came down from the mount and saw the abomination of the Israelites that they had changed the glory of God into the similitude of a Calfe that cateth Hay he was so daunted at the sight that dismall sight that for the present he was like a man in an Ecstasy he forgot what he was doing he let the Tables that were written upon by the finger of God to fall out of his hands and be broken and so brake those Lawes in his zeale which the people had broken in rebellion Exod. 3â— 19 Phinehas his zeale was so hot that he could not hold his hands but runs upon the offenders Zimri and Cozbi and runs them thorough with his savelin Num. 25.8 Hezechias rents his cloths heating the blasphemous words of Rabshakeh reviling the living God and David cries out my zeale hath even consumed me because mine Enemies have forgotten thy words and here the Son of David weeps for the sins of Hierusalem And no marvayle for it being the earnest desire of Gods children the constant aime of all their actions to doe all to the glory of God and to let theit light shine before men that others seeing their good works may glorify their Father which is in Heaven Let their light shine in like manner to the glory of God Let the people prayse thee O God let all the people prayse thee now to be crost in their earnest desire to see men in stead of doing all to the glory of God to do all to the dishonour of God to sell themselves to work wickednes in his sight must needs be a great heart-breaking or occasion of mourning Secondly we have cause to mourn for the abominations of Hierusalem the sins of other men in regard of themselves in compassion to their soules to see how desperatly they run themselves upon the Rock of Gods judgments how wilfully they embrace their own destruction how swinishly they wallow in the mire of sin how willing they are to be led by the Enemy of their salvation the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience making it their dayly trade their continuall exercise to adde sin unto sin and to heap up wrath against the day of wrath and Hirc illae lachrymae and who can behold all this with dry Eyes if we should see a man like Baals Priesâ—s cutting himselfe with lancers and knives till the bloud followed I suppose there is none of us but would be mooved with such a spectacle as this beloved this is the sinners case he dayly wounds and mangles himselfe with his sins every sin makes a deep gash in the soule spare then some of those Teares which thou usest to shed for the death of the body and shed them for the death of the soule for the sins of other men for these without repentance lead to everlasting death and destruction in that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where the Worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched And thirdly we have cause to mourn for the abominations of Hierusalem the sins of other men in regard of our selves and those dangers which by other mens sins hang over our own heads Woe is me saith the Psalmist that I am constrayned to dwell with Mesech and to have my habitation among the tents of Kedar Psal 120.4 There is a twofold woe hanges over the head of Gods children by reason of sinners that live among them a woe of infection and a woe of Malediction or a woe of punishment first I say a woe of infection Can a man touch pitch and not be defiled Can a man live among sinners like Ezechid in the midst of Scorpions and not be poysoned not be infected by them can Joseph live in Pharaohs Court and not learne to sweare by the life of Pharaoh it is a hard matter to live blamelesse and without rebuke and to shine as lights in the middest of a perverse and crooked generation though the Apostle require it Phil. 2.15 And therefore it is no small commendations that Christ gives the Bishop of Pergamos Rev. 2.13 That he held fast his name and did not deny his faith though he lived where the Synagogue of Satan was we are all of an apish nature apt to imitate the manners and conditions of those with whom we converse Like Labans sheep Ger. 30.39 Ready to bring forth white or spotted according to the patterns of innocency or corruption we see before our Eyes with the holy thou shalt be holy and with the froward thou shalt learn frowardnesse Psal 18.26 I have heard of those who knowing themselves to be certainly infected with the plague that they have gone out into the Streets and so not only poysoned the Ayre to the great danger of passers by but even breathed upon as many as they could come neare that so they might bee sure to infect them for certaine it is so with those that are infected with the plague of sin their bad example that is like the poysoning of the ayre very dangerous but their lewd entising counsell their insinuating temptations come let us lay waite for bloud wee shall fill our houses with spoile cast â—n thy Lot among us Pro. 1.11 that is like the breathing of an infected person upon another almost inevitable One woe is past a woe of infection there is a second woe hangs over the head of Gods children by reason of the wicked that live among them a woe of malediction or a woe of punishment and that twofold one for the wicked another from the wicked First there is a punishment hangs over them for the wicked fugiamus ne si balneum propter Cerinthum ruerit nos quoque damni simus participes said Saint Iohn the Evangelist let us make haste away least the Bath fall for Cerinthus sins and wee partake of Cerinthus punishment come out of her my people that ye bee not partakers of her sins that yee receive not of her plagues Rev. 18.4 all Israel smarts for Achans offence and many times a fruitfull land is made barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein Ps 107.34 T is true God sometimes spares the place for the tens sake unwilling to weed out the tares least he pluck up the wheat also and yet sometimes sin growes to such a ripenesse that it
causeth God to sweepe away the inhabitants of a land with the besome of destruction as he threatens by the Prophet witnesse those three great judgements the famine the pestilence and the sword when they come they spare none Secondly there is a punishment hangs over them from the wicked for who knowes not that the wicked are professed enemies to the children of God this serpentine brood beares a mortall enmity to the seed of the woman Christ and his members though they cannot breake their head they will if it be possible bruise their heele prove like the Canaanites to the Israelites scourges in their sides and thornes in their eyes alwayes deriding traducing opposing oppressing them making their lives bitter unto them sheepe can looke for no better entertainment among Wolves and therefore Gods children living among the wicked may justly take up the complaint of the Psalmist our Soule is among Lions where t' is as great a miracle that they should not be worried as that Daniel was not torne in peeces in the Lions denne You see there is cause enough to weepe over Hierusalem to mourne for the sins of other men and yet this mourning may be much increased both from the condition of him tha mourneth as also from the condition of him for whose sins we mourne First from the condition of him that mourneth from that relation which the mourner hath unto him for whose sins he mourneth and heere I may instance in two sorts of mourners naturall parents mourning for their children spirituall parents ministers mourning for their flocks To begin with naturall parents thinke with your selves and perhaps I speake to some that know and feele it what a greefe it must needs bee to parents Godly religious parents to see their children take lewd courses to walke in the counsell of the ungodly and sit in the seat of the scornefull to set at nought their wholesome instructions and fatherly admonitions a wise Sonne maketh a glad Father saith Solomon but a foolish Son is a heavinesse to his Mother Pro. 10.1 such a heavinesse was Esau to his mother Rebeccah in matching into that cursed stock of the Hittites as you may read Gen. 27.46 I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth if Iacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth such as are the daughters of the land what good will my life doe me and Saint Augustine reports of his mother Monica that as often as her children did sin against God so often she did as it were â—â—vell in birth of them again euery evill report she heard did as it were cause a new throw nay I thinke the paines of child-birth are not so tedious to the mother as those after-paines that are caused by the lewd conversation of their ungracious Children for those paines though they be sharp they are soone over and there is some comfort in the midst of them that a childe is comming into the world but when good Eunice shall doe her best indeavour to traine up her children in the way wherein they should walke acquainting them with the holy Scripture which are able to make them wise unto salvation and yet at last shall find all her labour lost her hopes frustrated her children carryed away with lewd and vicious company into all manner of loose conversation as rioting and drunkennesse chambering and wantonnesse this must needs bring her gray haires with sorrow to the grave From naturall parents mourning for their children passe wee to spirituall parents mourning for their flocks thinke with your selves what a greife it is to faithfull Pastâ—rs to see no better successe of all their labours so much planting and so much watering and yet little or no increase but they are forced to complaine with the Prophet Domini quis credidit Lord who hath beleeved our report Es 53.1 but especially when wee consider how heary all our preaching and all our exhortations will one day lye upon you for want of your obedience thâ—t our word which was intonded to be a savour of life unto life will prove to some of you the bitter savour of death unto death that it will bee more tolerable for Sadom and Gomurha at the day of judgement then for many among you because ye have despised our doctrine that wee shall bee forced to stand out and accuse you at that day as Christ told the Jewes 10.5.45 Thinke not that I will accuse you to my Father there is one that accuseth you even Moses in whom you trust that Moses in whom you trust who indeed was wont to stand in the gap to mediate and intercede for you at that day hee shall be your chiefest enemy Moses shall aceâ—se you because you would not beleeve nâ—â— obey his writings vers 47. now thinke with your selves what a greefe this must needs bee to the Ministers of God to consider with themselves that they who have desired nothing more then the salvation of those that are committed to their charge must at the last day be forced to appeare and rise against many of them for their condemnation to throw the first stone at them Secondly this mourning may be increased also from the condition of him for whose sins wee mourne some men doe a great deale more hurt by their sins then others and therefore their sins are the more to be lamented and here likewise I may instance in two sorts of people First those that are eminent in place aloft in the eye of the world advanced to places of eminency and dignity in Church or Common-wealth actiones superiorum sunt libri inferiorum the actions of superiors are many times the bookes that inferiours learne by and therefore when they are evill they are twice evill evill in themselves and evill for example as they are bad patternes and presidents for inferiours to imitate if King Iereboam turne away his eare from hearing the law you shall you shall soone find a miserable Kingdome for his example will make all Israel to sin and therefore his sins are much to be lamented It is therefore a mournfull spectacle to see a Magistrate that is sent for the terrour of evill doere to beare the Sword in vaine either to live in notorious sins himselfe or to allow and winke at the sins of others this was Gods complaint against Israel Es 1.23 Thy Princes are rebellious and companions of theeves they that should reforme sin in others they are rebellious themselves they that should judge the Fatherlesse and plead for the widow they are companions of theeves so they may have a bribe for conniving they never regard to deliver the oppressed out of the hand of the spoyler It is also a mournfull spectacle to see a minister upon whose garments under the Law was engraven in letters of gold Holinesse unto the Lord to defile this garment by living in those sins which in his owne mouth condemnes out of the word of God to see those that sit in Moses seat doe
hearken to it but we will doe what is pleasing in our own Eyes to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven â—er 41.16 When his servants coulâ— not work upon them he sent his Son They will reverence my Son but they cast him out of the Vineyard too this is the Heyre let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours God sets open a Fountaine for the inhabitants of Hierusalem to wash in for sin an for uncleanesse they scorne this fountaine as Naaman did Jordan Are not Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israel nay they say to Christ who is this fountaine as St. Peter did though with a far worse mind thou shalt never wash my feet Joh. 13.8 God sends his Son to seeke and save the lost sheep of the house of Israel and these lost sheep these Sons of perdition will not heare the Shepheards voyce braine-sick Patients they run at the Physician that comes to cure them they stumble at the Corner-stone the rock of their salvation becomes a Rock of offence to them and here is their condemnation that light is come into the World the day Sar from on high hath visited them but they chuse darknes rather then light because their deeds are evill Joh. 3.9 They are not sensible of the day of their Visitation God hath given them a gracious visit indeed hee hath sent his beloved Sonne amongst them the promised Shiloh whom they had so long expected and not they only but also all the Families of the Earth who expected a blessing from him the desire of all Nations is come among them Ecce rextius vâ—an tâ—â— Behold thy King commeth unto thee meek and sitti g upon an Asses Colâ— as you may see in the verses before my Text and it is wâ—ll the Oxe knew his owner for he was born in a Stable and layd in a Manger and the Asse here his Masters crib for Israel did not knew his people did not consider they reje ed him as the legion of Devils did Quid nobis tecum what have we to doe with thee Mat. 8.29 Full often he would have gathered their Children together as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but they would not they knew not the things that belonged to their peace Wherefore is there a price put into the hand of a foole saith Solomon seeing he hath no heart to it here was an invaluaâ—le price put into the hand of a foolish Nation but they had no heart to it the worth of it was hid from their Eyes they were so besotted with the pleasures of sin so purblind in discerning the things that concerned their peace the welfare and salvation of their soules that they had no list to close with those blessed opportunities which they injoyed and was not this a sad spectacle When he beheld the City he wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou in this thy day c. Learn we then here by Christs example as to weep so when to weep where and for whom to bestow our teares for the back-sliding of Hiâ—rusalem when we see iniquity in the holy place the faithfull City become a Harlot when we see precious opportunities neglected pearleâ— trampled under foot by Swine that know not the worth of them when we see men regardles of their soules and the things that concern their peace obstinatly to persist in their sins without any remorse of conscience or feare o judgment then it is high time to set open the floud-gates of our Eyes with David Mine Eyes gush out with water because men keep not thy Law or with our Saviour here he beheld the City and wept over it saying if thou hadst known c. In the ninth Chap. of Ezech. Ver 4. We find a command to set a mark upon the forehead of all those that sigh and cry out for all the abominations that were committed in the middest of Hierusalem and indeed what Christian mans heart can chuse but bleed within him if he shall seriously lay to heart all the abominations that are committed before his Eyes how was righteous Lots soule vexed with the uncleane conversation of the filthy Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.7 8. We read of S. Paul that when he came into Athens and saw the City wholy given to Idolatry Commotus est Spiritus that his Spirit was moved within him Acts 17.16 To see the renowned City of Athens so famous formerly for learning now become so infamous for Idolatry communicating that honour and service which is due and proper to God alone to dumb Idols his spirit was moved within him and so far moved that though he were in a strange place yet he could not contein himselfe but cries aloud against those abominations David cries out it grieveth me when I see the transgressors because they keep not thy Law Psal 119.158 And the Apostle speaking of those loose livers in the primitive Church whose belly was their God and gloried in their shame saith thus of them I tell you weeping they are the Enemies of the Crosse of Christ Phil. 3.18 19. David could not behold the transgressors without grieving It grieveth me when I see the transgressors because they keep not thy Law nor S. Paul speak of it without weeping I tell you weeping they are the Enemies of the Crosse of Christ so tender hearted have Gods children ever been so ready to mourn for others sins as indeed there is a great deale of reason we should do so both in respect of God who is therby dishonoured in respect of the sinner for whom in common humanity we cannot but weep when we observe how greedily he runs to his own destruction what hast he makes to that place where shal be everlasting weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth in respect of our selves who are indangered by other mens sins their sin is infectious I living among them may perhaps be drawn to cast in my lot to run with them to the same excesse of riot to partake with them in their sins their sin in offensive to God if God shall unsheath his sword and come to visit for their iniquities I living among them may perhaps be partaker of their punishment and therfore for my own sake I have cause to mourne for the sins of other men Tunc tua res agitur paries cum proximus ardet t is high time for thee to look about thee when thy Neighbours House is on fire And first we cannot but mourn for the abominations of Hierusalem the sins of other men in respâ—ct of God in zeale to his glory to see him dayly dishonoured his holy name blasphemed his Sabbaths prophaned his service neglected al his commandemants broken and that by the sins of other men this was it that made the Prophet Eliah complaine so mournfully 1 Kings 19.10 I have been very zealous for the Lord of Hosts for the children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant thrown down thine Altars slain thy