all in vaine for neither the world nor any thing in the world can free vs alwaies from sorrow especially if we belong to the Lord for Quid ad nos consolatio mundi Martia Epise What doe the pleasures of the world belong to vs for the world is but spuma fumus somnium a froth a smoake a dreame a froth because it puffeth vp a smoake because it maketh blinde a dreame because it vanisheth away Yea as a good Diuine saies it is Vices Nurse Natures step-mother Vertues murtherer Thefts refuge Woredomes pander Sodomes fruit Crocodils teares a Syrens song yea as Philo calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bitter sweet pleasure is a spurre riches a thorne honor a blast life a flower glory a feather beautie a fancy ioy a frenzy and all things in the world but like the Booke in the Reuelation Ap. 10.9 sweet in the mouth bitter in the belly or like the reeds in Egypt which doth not onely breake in peeces when it is leaned on but in breaking flieth in splinters 2 King 18.21 to the piercing of the hands of him that trusted to it or like a draught of cold water drunke vp by him that is heated with the violence of a burning Feauer which allaieth the heat during the continuance of drinking but scarcely is the Cup gone from his mouth before he feeleth an increase of his boiling drought or like money taken vp from the chest of the Vsurer which will stop a gap for the present but afterwards make the wound the deeper 6. Cities are chiefly to be lamented Sixthly lastly in that He wept and ouer Hierusalem the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Iewes the same Citie that he drew neere vnto and euen now beheld We learne That Cities ought chiefly to be lamented These things we might handle at large but lest your patience should be vrged my weak body too much strained and all our memories ouer charged I cease the prosecution till some other occasion in the meane while I referre these heads to your godly meditations and for a conclusion will onely speake a word or two of the cause of these teares Causes of Christ weeping ouer Hierusalem which is two-fold First Propter mala culpae the euill of sinne committed by them Secondly Propter mala poenae the euill of punishment that was to be inflicted vpon them 1. Cause was propter mala culpae their sinnes First Propter mala culpae the euill of sinne committed by them This was the greatest cause that produceth our Sauiours teares Roy. Post for non ruinam lapidum sed hominum vanitatem saies Royard in his Postils He wept not so much for the ruine of the City as the vanitie of the people Neuer did the nailes so wound him nor the speares so gore him as their sinnes did pierce him Neuer was the gall so bitter to his taste nor the thornes so pricking to his touch as their sinnes was offensiue to his soule Neuer was their fists so smarting to his cheekes nor their spittle so loathsome to his face as their sinnes were hatefull to his heart Neuer was their flouts so hurtfull to his name nor the Crosse so tormenting to his narure as their sinnes were burdensome to his body and soule for so heauy a weight was their sinnes to him that it did not onely make him pray once Matth. 26.44 Luke 22.44 twice and thrice nor to sweat and that in a cold winters night water and bloud nor to complaine I thirst but to cry Iohn 19. and that with such a lamentable cry as made both heauen and earth to stand amazed the Sunne to hide his face as not daring to behold the Sonne of God in such a case as he was in when he cried Eli Eli lamasabachthani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Blame not therefore our Sauiour to weepe since sinne is so tormenting to his soule Of old the Lord complaineth by the mouth of his holy Prophet Amos 2.13 That he was pressed vnder their sinnes as a Cart is pressed with sheaues which Saint Hierom thus glosseth As a Cart laden with hay or stubble maketh a noise soundeth out and howleth so I howle and cry vnder your sinnes saith the Lord euen shriking as sometimes a cart doth and no maruell for their sinnes were not few but many yea more then can bee numbred by any Arithmetician and greater then can be measured by any Geometrician 〈◊〉 1.4 〈◊〉 1.5 Ier. 5.7 Ieâ— 17.21 Ier. 6.14 Ier. 5.3 Jer. 6.13 Amos 6.6 Esay 3.16 c. Ier. 9 5. Ezâ—k 6.9 16. Esa 5. Iere. 17.25 I will not now stand to tell you of their Idolatry not of their swearing and forswearing nor of their profaning the Lords Saboath nor of their false teachers nor of their contempt of Gods word nor of their Couetousnesse nor of their sloth and drunkennesse nor of their pride nor of their deceit nor of their whoredome nor of their vnthankfulnesse nor of their waxing worse and worse with many moe All which I will not spend time about because I know you haue heard them and hope by frequent reading the Bible you know them but needs it must be granted that since their sinnes did so abound it was the cause that our Sauiours teares did much more abound Our sinnes as well aâ— Hierusalems draw teares from Christs eies And was it their sinnes alone that wrung these teares from our blessed Sauiours eies alas no sweet Iesus thou knowest it was ours as well as theirs for all thy labours thy troubles thy miseries thy griefes thy sweatings thy bleedings and thy torments which in the daies of thy flesh from the first houre of thy Natiuitie to the last moment of thy sufferings vpon the Crosse was for our sinnes and for our sakes our sinnes I say was the cause of all Esay confessed it Es 53.4 5. saying Hee hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes hee was wounded for our transgression he was bruized for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we are healed If there be euer an vnbeleeuing Iew amongst vs that should demand this vnseasonable question Why doth our Sauiour weepe for my sinnes Hee hath his answer from these short Arguments following First because it grieues the Father offends his Maiestie vexeth his holy Spirit of grace Christ weeps for sinnes because 1. they grieue God and his blessed Spirit 2. Procure punishment Rom. 6.23 Christ being one that loues the Father cannot chuse but weepe at that which grieues and offends the Father Secondly because it procureth punishment from the Father either temporall or eternall for the reward of sinne is death Death in this life and without a great repentance eternall death in the life to come Thirdly because it separates grace from the soule 3. Separate grace and God from man Esay 59.2 and the soule from grace God from
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
8.21 9.1 therefore wished O that my head were a Well of water and my eies a fountaine of teares that I might weepe night and day for the slaine of the Daughter of my people 2 Pet. 2.7 8. This did Lot for Sodom and Dauid was no whit behinde any when his eies powred out riuers of teares Psal 119. 130. because men would not keepe the law of his God Shall such affection be found in Gods ancient people and we to sauour neuer a whit thereof If our friends depart from vs or die with vs we can weep and mourne as fast as any but if we see a neighbour or a brother wedded to wickednesse and sunk almost past recouery into sinne we neuer mourne nor shew any dislike but salue it vp with humanum est Others sins not to be salued but sorrowed for so that for a young man to sinne is but a tricke of youth for an old man but an infirmitie of age and in none at any time as it should be lamented Children are suffered to be wanton because their yeares are tender youth is permitted to bee licentious because their age is lustie rich men are moued with vanitie because it is their portion poore men are customed with folly because they liue in want old men are drowned in superstition because they are neere their graues women are wanton because they be beautifull and all are sinfull yet by few or none lamented nay are they not reioyced at Sinnes now moue not mourning but mirch or mockings especially the failings of Gods children and in these times made the principall cause to moue laughter for if any man fall dangerously into sinne especially the childe of God either by infirmitie blindnesse or being ouertaken on a sudden by Satan the world then flings away jeering as hauing caught what of long time they watcht for then with a ioyfull countenance they vaunt abroad the whole nay more then the whole fall or sailing of this poore childe of God divulging to as many as they see or at leastwise know the time the place and the manner of that sinne which was committed by such a person 1 Sam. 17.52 for as the Israelites reioyced at the fall of Goliah so doth the world at the failings of the Saints of God Cato Cato that graue Senator of Rome was neuer seene to laugh but once and that was when he espied out of his window an Asse eating of Thistles wondring why that beast should take pleasure in pricks that should haue beene spurres to haue made him to take paines So wee when wee see our brethren eating vp sinnes like bread and drinking vp iniquitie like water Iob. 15.16 rather laugh with Democritus at their folly then with Heraclitus lament their faults I tell you brethren there is no greater signe of a reprobate then to laugh at sinne and Sinners for hee that can make wickednesse his chiefest pastime and the faults of others his greatest ioy is iust like to Satan our greatest enemy Satans greatest solace is to see men sinning who reioyceth at nothing more then when men commit sinne Therefore when thou seest sinne in any be it in thy wife children friends seruants or enemies take heed thou reioyce not at it but weepe and mourne for it present not Omnia bene all is well For any man being fallen into sinne Our hearts should smite vs when wee see another sinne Pia est illa trislitia alienis vitâ—js ingemiscere non adhaerere Contristari non implicari dolore contrahi non attrahi August Ber. homil de resurrectione Dom. is in a very miserable case till hee returne vnto the Lord by true repentance wherefore let thy heart smite thee when thou seest thy brother sleeping in the bed of sinne For This is a godly sorrow to pitie mens sinnes and not to be polluted by them to sorrow for them and not sinke into them to be drawne away in dolour and not drawne away with delight Saint Bernard makes mention in one of his Homilies of an old man who when hee saw any man sinne wept and lamented for him being asked why he so grieued for others answered Hodie ille cras ego hee fell to day I may fall to morrow If we could but remember this it would rather draw bloud from the heart then ioy when we see a man fallen into sinne therefore when thou seest a murdering Caine a theeuish Achan Gen. 4. Ios 7. 2 King 5. 2 Sam. 13. 1 Sam. 25. Numb 16. Gen. 19. 2 Sam. 15. 1 King 12.28 Exod. 9. 1 King 21. Esay 37. 2 Sam. 6. Luke 15. 2 Sam. 17. Acts 12. Luke 16. Luke 22.48 Matth. 23.25 Luke 7.37 a lying Gehezie an incestuous Amnon a churlish Nabal a resisting Cora a filthy Sodomite a murmuring Israelite a rebellious Absolom an idolatrous Ieroboam and an oppressing Pharao a painted Iesabel a blaspheming Sennacherib a railing Rabsachath a scoffing Michal a spending Prodigall a cursing Shemei a proud Herod a gluttonous Diues a traiterous Iudas an hypocriticall Pharisie a wanton Mary Magdalen an tyrannicall Nero a bloudy Bonner and an Apostate Iulian or any other sinner whatsoeuer Oh weepe and lament for them knowing not how soone God may with-draw his grace from thee and suffer thee to fall as foule as any of them into the like sinnes I conclude this point with that place of Ezechiel where the Lord commands a marke to be set vpon the foreheads of all those that mourne and cry for all the abominations done in the midst of Hierusalem for their preseruation Ezek. 9.4 5. But to take notice of all those which did not onely laugh at sinne but would not lament for sinne for their destruction O therefore let vs with our louing Sauiour sorrow and grieue for our sinfull brethren vsing all meanes to turne them from their wicked course of life imbracing the man but hating his manners rebuking him sharply for his great offence Prou. 27.5 for an open rebuke is better then a secret loue then it may be thou shalt pull his soule from Satan which if thou canst but so doe thou maiest sit downe with ioyfull Iacob when he heard of Iosephs life Gen. 45.25 I haue enough my sonne is liuing 2. Cause of Christs teares was Propter mala poenae the punishment to which they were subiect Our last point is the second cause of Christs teares which is Propter mala poenae the euill of punishment that was to be inflicted vpon them for as God he saw nay rather fore-saw from the Watch-tower of this Mount the future temptations and vtter desolations both of Church and people Cities and Citizens which whilest he beheld as God he lamented as Man Should I enter into their punishments I should diue into an Ocean without bottome and lose my selfe in a wildernesse of discourse therfore I refuse to tel you how the sword destroied twentie thousand in one day Iosephus and how the