other good and holy exercises therefore as God hath blessed thee in this kinde aboue others so labour to exceed others that at the last day the Lord may finde a plentifull haruest in thy soule Hath the Lord giuen thee a faithfull Minister that is carefull in watching diligent in feeding painfull in teaching and instructing thy soule in the waies of godlinesse Doth hee breake the bread of life early and late preach in season and out of season pray for thy good when thou art fast asleepe and little thinkes of any good to thy owne selfe Then see thou bee found holy in life and conuersation gratious in all thy words and deeds heauenly-minded in euery place full of diuine knowledge and godlinesse For if thou that hast so much good teaching haue not Faith for thy shield the Word for thy sword righteousnesse for thy breast-plate Truth for thy girdle the Gospell for thy shooes Saluation for thy helmet and Christ for thy Sauiour but still like the Papists remainest ignorant then greater shall be thy damnation for to whom much is giuen much shall be required In a word looke whatsoeuer it is that the Lord hath blessed thee with all aboue other men see thou be found more fruitfull then other men Matth. 26.24 else as Iesus said of Iudas It had beene good for that man he had neuer beene borne So may I say to thee it had beene good for thy soule thou hadst neuer beene made partaker or once tasted those things which thou in abundance hast enioyed for those that haue receiued much at the hands of God must not be like vnprofitable ground receiuing much seed but restoring no profit much dunging yet far from fructifying lest to our soules terror and amazement we heare that fearefull sentence Take the vnprofitable seruant Matth. 25.30 binde him hand and foot and cast him into vtter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for euermore Secondly this serues for lamentation for if God require much where he hath bestowed much who can refraine from teares to see our land in generall and almost euery man in particular so fruitlesse and barren in goodnesse notwithstanding all we haue receiued from the Lord Hath not God planted vs his Vineyard as on a fruitfull hill Es 5.1 hath he not hedged vs in on euery side with the shield of his protection hath hee not gathered out the stones of Popery amongst vs planted vs in this fertile soile as his choisest plants seasoning our soules with his holy doctrine and heauenly Sacraments watring vs with the dew of his holy Spirit and hath built a Tower of excellent discipline amongst vs Hath he not lightned our darknesse heated our coldnesse reuiued our drooping soules reioyced our trembling hearts and freed our languishing Spirits from sorrow Hath hee not opened his house prouided his meat Prou. 9.5 mingled his wine spread his table sent forth his seruants in a plentifull manner to call and inuite all those that be weary and heauy laden Matth. 11.28 and those that be a thirst to come to the waters of comfort Esa 55.1 to buy and drinke without money or monies worth What shall I say Hath hee dealt thus with any Nation O no neither haue the heathen knowledge of his Lawes So gracious and bountifull and bountifully gracious hath he beene to vs and that not for three yeares as to the Fig-tree Luke 13.7 but threescore with many yeares aduantage that he may say and say truly to vs What more could I haue done for you my people then what I haue not done yet for the generall we are as backward and auerse to all goodnesse as though we neuer had receiued any kindnesse as far from godlinesse in our liues and conuersations as though God had neuer beene preached amongst vs. He requires nothing for all his mercies but thankfulnesse and that is the returne he demands for all his blessings but we are worse then the ten Lepers for one of them returned with praises in his mouth Luke 17.17 and thanksgiuing in his heart for the mercy he had receiued of the Lord. But let the Lord bestow neuer so many blessings vpon vs scarce one of an hundred will bestow thankes vnto him for it It is a commendation that is giuen of the Dogge that hee is Fidelissimus Domino gratissimus most faithfull and gratefull to his master that maintaines him for by night he will watch ward and diligently keepe his Masters house and by day he will attend vpon his Master abroad fight for him and die for him too if need require 2 King 5.15 Naaman the Syrian when hee was cured would haue giuen the Prophet a reward but we will not giue the Lord so much as thanks for all the fauours hee hath bestowed vpon vs Gods mercies by vs are now forgotten as though they had neuer beene For who remembers the miraculous ouerthrow of that inuincible Nauy in the yeare eightie eight Who remembers the peaceable gouernment of Queene Elizabeth whose famous memory shall liue for euer Who remembers the peaceable entrance of his Maiestie into this Kingdome when we had cause to feare the daies many hoped for Who remembers the fift of Nouember wherein wee had the greatest deliuerance that euer any Nation had from that damned deuillish and hellish plot of Powder treason inuented by the Deuils eldest sonne the Pope and his followers Who remembers our freedome from the plague which wasted thousands and ten thousands in our streets Who remembers these I say with thousands more of Gods mercies Surely surely very few or none and no maruell though those mercies that are past be forgotten when mercies present are not remembred Wee forget how the Lord hath dealt more fauourably with vs then many yea then with all Nations round about vs. Psal 144.14 Wee see no carrying into captiuitie no complaining in our streets Our men are not killed our Nobles are not wounded our Women are not rauished our Virgins are not defloured our Infants are not tossed our goods are not wasted nor our Land nor Cities are ruinated Wee heare not the noise of the Gun-shot the clattering of Armour the slashing of Swords the grones of the wounded nor that vnmercilesse proclamation Kill kill and spare none rip vp the Women imbowell the aged and dash the Infants vpon the stones This nor none of these doe wee heare which our poore brethren haue felt a long time yet we forget all We haue forgotten how he hath kept vs from diseases restored vs from sicknesse and watcheth ouer vs all the day long Wee haue forgotten how hee feeds vs carrieth vs in his armes saueth vs from danger refresheth vs with sleepe draweth the Curtaine of his loue about vs watching our houses from fire from robbers and from ruine nay more haue we not forgotten that wonderfull redemption wrought by the bloud of Iesus Christ when we were vtterly lost What shall I say Sure
the face take off the vaile and chase away the foggy mists of sinne and superstition from the heart Psal 19.7 Psal 119. Prou. 1.4 filling the ignorant with knowledge the simple with vnderstanding and all with grace 4. Consol Fourthly his presence is a Cities comfort and consolation and that because he is all things beneficiall and the end of our hopes hee is a Sword Water Milke Wine a Treasure a Salue a Garment a Shepherd a Bridegroome a Crowne a Pearle a King and a Key See what benefit these or any of these is to a Nation a Family or a priuate person the same benefit is Christ where his speciall presence remaines for he is a Sword to defend vs Water to wash vs Milke to nourish vs Wine to reioyce vs a Treasure to enrich vs a Salue to heale vs a Physician to cure vs a Garment to cloath vs a Shepherd to feede vs a Bridegroome to marry vs a Crowne to honour vs a Pearle to decke vs a King to gouerne vs and a Key to open and vnlocke Heauen gates vnto vs. What shall I say but onely as a man rauished cry from the bottome of my soule O happy and blessed be the people that haue the Lord for their God they shall be fed as a Flocke fostered as a Family dressed as a Vineyard decked as a Spouse and crowned as a Queene Contrariwise where Christs presence is departed to that people I may say O miserable and vnhappy men and women good had it beene for you you had neuer beene borne but as the vntimely fruit of the wombe had perished and been no more for better no man than a man without Christ and no City than a City destitute of his presence When Lot forsooke Sodome it was soone consumed and if Christs presence forsake our land it will soone be destroyed for that place which is destitute of the presence of Christ may complaine as sometimes Martha did to our Sauiour Joh. 11.21 Lord if thou hadst beene here our brother LaZarus had not beene dead So if thy presence had still remained with vs our Kingdome had not beene wasted Magistrates not corrupted Lawes not violated Lawyers not bribed Faith and Vertue not banished Ministers mouthes not stopped but all goodnes cherished all men amended To conclude I leaue this branch with a word of exhortation beseeching you so to entertaine Christ though not in himselfe for that is impossible seeing his body only remaines in Heauen yet in his members that hee neuer may finde any iust cause of departing from vs. I dare boldly say and that with a reioycing heart that England yet enioyes the speciall presence of the Lord to the great comfort of those that seeke his face but how long we shall enioy the same the wisdome of Salomon is not able to declare could we keepe from sin we should euer enioy a Sauiour but if sinne be harboured in the soule and rule in the life and conuersation it will proue as a mist or a darke cloud to obscure the speciall presence of Christ from our Kingdome I feare nay know that offence is giuen am not much vnsure that offence is taken for iniquity growes so fast that it hath couered the whole Land yet who doth seeke to cut it downe neither is there but few if any that stands in the gap to intreat the Lord for vs what shall I say Am I a Prophet Amos 7.14 No nor the Sonne of a Prophet yet this I dare boldly say Luc. 13. Vnlesse we suddenly repent we perish either we must forsake our sins or else the presence of Christ will forsake our soules I wonder we haue not lost him before this day had it not beene more of his goodnesse than of our kindnesse London had long since beene left as Sodome and rak't vp in Ashes like to Gomorra For how is his Name blasphemed his Sabbaths profaned his Word contemned his Sacraments neglected his Ministers despised his Children derided his holy Spirit grieued by many sinnes which I will not say are publikely maintained but am sure they are openly practised which drawes teares afresh from the eyes of the Sonne of God and makes him for want of a Ierusalem to weepe ouer London as though it would proue a second Ierusalem to crucifie his body againe but the Lord in mercy amend it and giue you hearts that beares the sword of Iustice to reforme it that Christ may not wilfully be banished but kindly receiued friendly welcommed louingly entertained to vs and our posterity to the end of the world The second roome of the first Tabernacle is Praesentia The second roome in our Tabernacle or Branch proceeding from our trees first bodie or bole is Praesentia yet not so much in person as in affection not by the people required but by Christ desired he longed to be present with them Christ drawes neere either therefore drew neere vnto them Christ may be said to draw neere a people either Corporally or Spiritually Corporally 1. in himselfe 2. in his members Corporally in himselfe or in his members In himselfe when he rides or goes to any place in his humane body and soule and thus he drew neere at this time to Hierusalem for his body was carried on the backe of a silly Asse which he sent his Disciples to borrow at the hand of a certaine Farmer Luke 19.35 And vpon this Asse he did take his progresse toward Hierusalem now drawing neere to the Citie but thus he neuer shall draw neere to any place againe his body remaining onely glorified in heauen Secondly he drawes neere Spiritually and that in loue or affection Or spiritually in loue and affection Thus also he may be said to draw neere to Hierusalem for this iourney was not onely pedibus sed affectibus not by the motion of the feet but of the affections or as Lira in locum hath it Lira in locum Non solum corporis gressu sed etiam compassionis affectu He came not onely with the feet of his body but also with the affection of his compassion When he begins to worke by his holy Spirit Faith Repentance and Sanctification in the hearts of a Nation he may bee said to draw neere that people For saies Christ Iohn 15.22 if I had come and spoken vnto them they had not had sinne but now they haue no cloake for their sinne that is if I had not come they neuer would haue knowne themselues to bee sinners whereas by my comming they now perceiue it so that we conclude if any Nation bee brought to a true sight and sense of sinne it is by Christ his drawing neere but in that he here is said to draw neere Hierusalem we note That the Lord will not absent himselfe for euer 2. Doctr. but at last will draw neere to the people of his pasture He is a God which cannot alwaies be chiding neither wil he forsake his
pray with Saint Augustine Domine da quod iubes August iube quod vis id est Lord giue vs abilitie to returne vnto thee and then command vs to returne or inable vs to doe what thou commandest then command what thou wilt Secondly if Christ weepe for our sinnes Seeing Christ weeps for ours wee should weepe for our owne we are taught to weepe for our owne Wee must not be like stockes and stones that haue no sense nor feeling of our owne miserie neither must wee be like men dead since wee make a shew of life for if Christ weepe for vs wee haue much more cause to weepe for our selues It may be the worldling thinkes hee need not weepe because Christ wept not for himselfe but for vs For saith the carelesse Carnalist If his bloud be sufficient for my soule without mine why not his teares for my sinnes without mine Thus to a desolute liuer the teares of Christ are like Mercuries still-pipe Mercuries still-pipe which plaied Argus his hundred eies asleepe at once But let me tell thee O thou traytour to thy owne soule though Christs bloud be sufficient without thine yet not his teares without thine For when he shed his bloud it was to redeeme thee from sinne but when he sheds his teares Our sins cost Christ both teares bloud therefore we must at least shed teares for them it is in seeing thee runne so fast to sinne therefore as it cost him both bloud and teares to come to thee so it must cost thee at the least many a shower of teares before thou canst come to him Hee sailed thorow the Sea of bloud to saue thy soule thou must saile thorow the Sea of teares to win his fauour If thou refuse to lanch forth into the Sea of Contrition in this world thou shalt be drowned in the Ocean of perdition in the world to come therefore to purge thy heart to free thy soule to winne Christs fauour be not backward to weepe but power forth teares with Dauid Psal 6. Ion. 3.6 Gen. 17. Esay 38.14 Iob 3.24 1 Sam. 1. Ioâ—l 2.13 Matth. 26.75 Luke 7.38 Act. 2.37 16 30. apparell thy selfe in sackcloth with Niniuy humble thy selfe to the ground with Abraham mourne like a Doue with Ezechia rore out thy griefe with Iob powre forth thy soule with Hanna rent thy heart with the penitent lament thy sinnes with Peter let sorrow bee thy feast with Mary and cry out with the Iewes and Iaylor Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saued It may be thou thinkes thou doest sorrow but delude not thy soule for euery groane and sigh and crying Lord haue mercy vpon me is no true sorrow but grant it be yet where are the teares Christ did not sigh Christ did not stay in sighing groning praying but also shed both teares bloud groane and pray for thee then resting himselfe contented as if he had done sufficient but as a man neuer satisfied in affection was not contented till he had shed teares from his eies nay bloud from his heart for the sinnes of thy body and soule therefore if thou thus truly sorrow Teares griefes chiefe testimonie shew mee thy teares for teares are griefes chiefe testimonies the sorrow of the minde will soone bewray it selfe by the countenance of the man Seneca Neither pleasure nor profit nor any thing in the world should hinder teares if thou canst not weepe then thou hast most reason to weepe for there is no greater cause of sorrow ministred then where teares are abolished Doth the worlds pleasure or profit stop or hinder thee from penitentiall teares Then call to minde Salomon and Christ Eccle. 1.2 Salomon who enioyed many things yet said of all things in this world Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas Vanity of vanity all is but vanity Christ who enioyed no thing of this worlds good yet said Matth. 16.26 What shal it profit a man to win the whole world and lose his owne soule Let not therefore the world nor any thing in the world withdraw thee from weeping for sinne but rather lament the more for the more thou weepest here the more thou shalt reioyce hereafter Peter wheÌ„ he came to Christ leapt into a Sea of waters but when he went from Christ leapt into a Sea of teares our sins deserue as much for a whole ocean of teares will hardly rince our soules Dauid though a man after Gods own heart yet complaineth that he was like a Pellican in the wildernesse whose nature is euer to haue teares trickling downe her bill For teares were his meat day and night Psal 6.6 yea he washed his bed and watred his couch nay made it to swim with the teares of his complaint Iosiah though he were a powerfull Prince ouer a great people yet his heart melted like wax and his eies weept bitterly 2 King 22.19 when he heard the words of the Law Looke vpon Iob that was the Mirror of patience yet vpon the dunghil he sits weeping night day crying out most pittiously My sighings come before I eat Ioh 3.24 and my rorings are powred out like water Looke vpon holy Ieremy you shall finde his eies casting forth riuers of teares Lam. 3.48 Looke vpon Iona Iona. 2.2 you shall finde him weeping at the bottome of the sea and in the belly of hell Looke vpon Mary Magdalen you shall finde her weeping Luke 7.38 and that in such excessiue manner that shee is able with teares to bathe the feet of Christ In a word view but any one of the Children of God and tell me whether you finde them backward in weeping for sinne None come to heauen with dry eies at least not hauing a sorrow for not weeping Reu. 21.4 yea or no Can we finde none that euer came to heauen with dry eies and shall wee thinke to come to heauen with a merry countenance Surely no for Christ is said in the Reuelation to wipe away all teares from his childrens eies But how can he wipe them away from those that neuer either did or sorrowed that they could not shed any Awake therefore O thou sinner weepe and howle for the sinnes thou hast committed against God against man and against thine owne soules conscience lest judgement ouertake thee and there be none to helpe thee Psal 50.22 but away thou must to the graue before thou hast repented Once there was a certaine King that neuer was seene to laugh or smile In all places amongst all persons at all times hee was very pensiue and sad His Queene being much grieued thereat came to his Brother requesting him to aske of the King what was the cause of his continuall sadnesse No sooner had this Noble man fulfilled this Princesse desire but the King his Brother replied I will tell thee next day so he departed for that time When the King perceiued he was gone he went presently and caused
a great deepe pit to be made commanding his seruants to fill it halfe full with firie-coles hauing so done hee causeth an old rotten boord to be laid vpon it and ouer the boord to hang a two-edged sword by a small threed with the point downewards and close by the pit to set a table full of all manner of dainty meats and delicious wines This being thus done he commanded his Brother to be placed vpon that rotten boord and foure men to stand round about him with drawne swords one before another behinde a third on his left hand a fourth on his right also he sent for Drums Trumpets and all other kinde of Musicke which his Country afforded to play sing and dance before his Brother Then the King called vnto him saying Reioyce and be merry O my Brother eat drinke and laugh for here is pleasant being but he replied and said O my Lord and King how can I be merry since I am in such danger on euery side looking vnder me I see coles of fire and if I stirre this rotten boord will breake then shall I fall into the pit and be consumed to ashes In looking vp I see a sword right ouer me which if it be but touched fals downe and slaies me In looking on either hand behinde and before me I see men stand with naked swords to take away my life Since therefore I am in the midst of so many dangers how can I eat drinke or be merry for these same sights doe turne my ioy into sorrow and my laughing into lamenting Then the King said Looke how it is now with thee so it is alwaies with me for if I looke aboue mee I see the great and dreadfull Iudge to whom I must giue an account of all my thoughts words and deeds good or euill If I looke vnder me I see the endlesse torments of hell wherein I shall be cast if I die in my sinnes If I looke behinde me I see all the sinnes that euer I haue committed and the time which vnprofitably I haue spent If I looke before me I see my death euery day approaching neerer and neerer vnto my body If I looke on my right hand I see my conscience accusing me of all that I haue done and left vndone in this world And if I looke on my left hand I see the creatures crying vengeance against me because they groaned vnder my iniquities Rom. 8 21. Now therefore wonder not hence-forward why I cannot reioyce but still mourne and weepe O that all men could thus consider their estate then should they finde small cause to reioyce at the world or any thing in the world but imploiment for Argus his eies yet all little enough to weepe and shed teares for the miserable estate wherein wee stand by sinne for these things are hidden from the worlds eie they account their estate to be happy blessing themselues in the abundance of their riches and because they are not afflicted like vnto other men Psal 7.5 they thinke of no better heauen then that which they enioy vpon earth For the Prince of this world hath so blinded their minds that they cannot discerne what is good for their soules Many times I mourne as one who cannot otherwise chuse to see the folly of this world and what excuses the sonnes of men will make to free their eies from weeping and that not onely of the profaner sort but also of such as make great shew of Religion in so much that now a daies true penitentiall teares is as rare to finde or see as the Prouerbe is a blacke Swan Euery true teare in this age wherein wee liue is a pearle in price and a few of them is worth a Kings ransome But where shall we finde them In the Court Alas no there is pride and vanitie Teares for sin in this age scarce any where to be seene in any estate generally Hosea 4.2 Not in the Citie Inns of Court and hardly any roome for true penitentiall teares Are they in the Citie No for there is swearing lying stealing whoring and breaking out till bloud touch bloud therefore there is hardly any roome for these true teares Are they in the Innes of Court or Westminster Hall Alas no vnlesse it bee the poore Clients teares who weeps more for the losse of his money amongst Lawyers then for his soule by sinne for there is delaying of Iudgement demurring of Causes and selling of Iustice but no place for true teares Are they in the Countrey Surely no Country for there is nothing but labouring day by day weeke by weeke and yeare by yeare for the maintenance of the body but neuer once dreaming of the good of the soule Are they among the Gentry No neither Gentry vnlesse true teares consist in hawking hunting gaming or seasting which if they doe God shall haue enough of that but alas these cannot wash the soule from sinne or free the conscience of his burden but rather bespot their soule more with sin heaping fewell to the fire for their greater torments Where then shall I finde true teares Surely amongst the Clergie for they bee the Priests of the Lord Clergy and euer should be offering sacrifices not onely of praiers but also of teares and that both for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people but with griefe I speake it that few if any is there to be found for they are growne so fat that they can neither weepe for themselues nor speake to instruct the people What shall I now doe Or whither shall I trauell to finde one cloth bedued with true teares For since I finde them not in the Court nor in the Citie nor in Westminster Hall nor in the Countrey nor in the Gentry nor in the Clergie I meane the generalitie of all these whither will you then send me to finde this rare fountaine I will command my Muses once more to goe abroad to see if they can finde this cleansing riuer of Iordan or bring me any tidings of the true Fullers earth But whither I haue searched all places one onely excepted therefore if they remaine not there I boldly dare say they haue no being in this land and that place is Babylon Onely among the afflicted where the captiuated Israelites remaine I meane the afflicted oppressed and grieued seruants of the Lord whether it be in Court or Citie Westminster Hall or Countrey Gentry or Clergie or any place else there and onely there is this precious water to bee found and not else-where for these people weepe sore in the night when they should take their rest Lam. 1.2 and their teares cease not trickling downe their cheekes till the Lord returne with comfort to their soules Psal 137.1 These weepe at the remembrance of Sion and are wasted with sorrow when they call to minde the dew of Hermon distilling vpon the Watch-tower of the Lord therefore you that desire to drinke of these teares resort with speed