good which wee love not we serve God in covered dishes yet wee sigh not O how sensible was sin to this holy Apostle when hee cried n Rom. 7 24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from this body of death O how many teares dropping from his eyes washed his hands and blurred his paper when hee writ these words Hee with many sobbing tears desired to die that sinne might die in him o Rom. 6 7 for hee that is dead is freed from sinne We would not live if wee could not sinne for life without sinne is death unto us Wee walke as the Gentiles of whom the Apostle writeth that p Eph. 4 19 being past feeling they have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse Therefore being without sorrow in our hearts wee have no teares in our eyes and we weep not What token is this Surely that there is no love no respect to God in us for if wee loved his goodnes if wee respected his Majestie our hearts would cleave asunder for sorrow our eies would breake out into teares when we offend him CHAP. IV. 1 SEcond motive to weeping from the Iustice of God 2 Sinnes are debts whereby wee treasure up wrath to our selves 3 The sinner fighteth against God I. AS we love not his Goodnes as wee honour not his Majestie so we feare not his Iustice though wee be selfe-lovers though apparantly wee love our selves too much yet I may say that wee love not our selves enough because wee hate our owne soules q 2. Sam. 1.17 David wept lamentedâ— when Saul killed himselfe and when his best friend Ionathan was slaine by the Philistins The r Chap. 1 verse 11 author of the book of Wisedome saith that the mouth that belyeth slaieth the soule Say not that the booke is not Canonicall God himselfe saith that Å¿ Ezech. 18 7â— the soule that sinneth it shall dye Neyther is there any of you ignoraÌ„t of the scripture where S. Paul writeth that t Rom. 6 23 the wages of sinne is death Wherefore take heede to your sinnes for so many sins as yee commit against the eternall God so manie mortall blowes give yee to your immortall soules II. u Macrob. l. 2 Satur. c. 4 Habenda est inquit ad somnum mihi conciliandum illa culciâ—ra in qua ille tanto aere alieno obstrictuâ— somnum capere potuit Augustus Caesar wondred how a certain Knight of Rome vvho owed great summes of money farre beyond all his worth slept so securely that hee was no way disquieted with feare of the rigor of Iustice no way grieved with the overthrow of his family and would needes have the Quilt whereon that carelesse man could be at quiet thinking it should have more force to make him sleepe than all the Laudanum of the Apothe-caries shops Wee are that man our debts are our sinns which we pile up so mightily that as David said of his iniquities x Psalm 40.12 they are mo than the hayres of our head neverthelesse wee say with David but not in so good a cause y Psalm 4.8 I vvill lay me downe in peace sleepe neyther call wee to minde when wee are thus hoording and heaping sinnes upon sinnes as the Fables tel that the Gyants laide hills upon hills when they were to fight against God that a Rom. 2.5 through our hardnesse and impenitent heart we treasure up unto our selves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous iudgement of God This is no tale forged by a Poet but a most true saying come from Heaven for b Ro. 1.31 this is the iudgment of God that they which coÌ„mit such things are worthy of death III. What is it to sinne God saith it is to walke at all adventures with him or as the translation of the text hath contrary unto him that is as if yee should runne your head against a wall of marble stone Heare then what news he sendeth to such adventurers c Lev. 26.27 28. If ye walk at al adventures with me I will also walk at all adveÌ„tures with you in fury and I even I will chastise you seven times for your sins when we fight and bicker and tilt thus with God who shall have the upper hand and which of us shall triumph It were a safer course for us to d Gen. 32.24 wrestle with him as Iacob did e Hosea 12.4 Hee wept made supplication unto him Hee wrestled by weeping hee preuayled by praying it is sorrowing it is weeping for sinne it is praying for forgivenesse of sinnes which giveth us power over God Therefore if we desire to prevayle NOW let us weepe and pray NOW CHAP. V. 1. THird motive to weeping from the passion and death of Iesus Christ considered first in the Garden 2. Next in the High Priests house 3. Thirdly in the Iudgement-Hall 4. Fourthly upon the Crosse 5. Divers examples to moove us to weepe for his death 6. We have crucified him therefore we should weepe because of him 7. As the Iewes did 8. They that weepe not in this world shall weepe in hell I. BUt to leave this let us cast our eyes upon the passion and death of our Lord Iesus Christ f 2. Cor. 5.21 who knew no sinne and neverthelesse was of God made sinne for us Let us looke upon him in the garden there hee said that g Mat. 26 38. his soule was exceeding sorrowful even unto death He was thus sorrowfull for our sinnes and shall not we be sorrowfull for them There h Mark 14.33 he was sore amazed and very heavy And shal not we be amazed for his amazednesse and very heavy for his heavines who was thus amazed thus heavie for us There yee see him wallowing on the ground before the throne of the justice of God there i Luk. 22.44 he is in an agonie there in a cold aire the heate of the agonie openeth all the pores of his sacred body it melteth his flesh like waxe it changeth all his humors into a river of a bloody sweat which piercing and running through his garment imbued and dyed the ground with a crimson colour There yee heare him k Heb. 5.7 offering up prayers supplications with strong crying and teares unto him that was able to save him from death death which hee was to suffer not for himselfe but for us O hearts of steele when will the agonie of the Sonne of God for you cast you in an agony for your selves O eyes drier than the dryest bricke when will the bloodie sweate of your sweet Saviour which mollified the hard ground soften you when will the streames of teares running from the glorious and bright-shining eyes of the King of kings change you into fountaines of water when will weeping dig hollow furrowes and gutters in your faces O when will yee begin to shed one teare for your owne
others which have no hope he forbiddeth you not to be waile your dead for it is impossible to fight against the motions of nature Did not u Gen. 23.2 Abraham the father of the faithfull mourne and weepe for Saâ—ra Did not x Gen. 50 1.10 Ioseph weepe upon his dead father and kisse him did not all his sonnes bury him with a very great and sore lamentation Did not y Num. 20.29 all the congregation of Israel mourne for Aaron thirty dayes Did a Deut. 34.8 they not weep for Moses as many dayes Did not David weepe for b v 2. Sam. 1.17 Saul for x 2. Sam. 3.32 Abner and for his sonne y 2. Sam. 18.33 Absalom and did not our Lord Iesus Christ a Ioh. 11.35 weep for Lazarus Did not b Act. 8.32 the devout men of Ierusalem make great lamentations over Steven Did not c Act. 9.39 the Christian widdowes of Lydda weepe for Dorcas when she was dead V. The thing which the Apostle forbiddeth is weeping such as is the weeping of the Gentiles which is immoderate because they have no hope One of them seeing hee must needes pay the last tribute to nature go the way of all the earth as he was dying made an heavy mone for his soul saying d Spartiani Adrianus Animula vagula blandula Hospes comesque corporis Quae nune abibis in loca Pallidula rigida nudula Nec ut soles dabis iocos O my restlesse my gentle my sweet soule soule which hast been a friendly guest and companion of my body O how wanne how cold how bare and empty is the place whither thou must now goe neyther shalt thou hereafter make me merry The rest had no better hope if they spake not so they thought no lesse But we know that e Ioh. 5.24 hee that beleeveth in Christ hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life therefore we must not weepe for our dead immoderately as Gentiles doe but moderately as Christians doe In f Ier 9.17 18. Ieremiah his time there was an heathnish custome among the Iewes Praficae mulieres to hire mourning women who were accustomed to take up a wailing for their dead and that g Chrysost ad Popul Antiochen homil 69. 70. profane custome was in the Church in S. Chrysostomes dayes It is now banished out of the Church But that w eh we doe is not much unlike unto it wee teare our faces with our nails we pull the haire out of our heads we rend our clothes wee yell wee roare wee howle like beasts and shew indeed that wee are without hope so great hypocrites or that we consisider not what wee are doing Chrysostome said that h Ex ostentatione potius ambitione inani gloria sunt c. there is more ostentation ambition and vaine glory than true sorrow in such weeping for a man may weep bitterly in his closet and not make such a shew Yea in such weeping there is great shame and great offence offered to our most holy religion For how shall we speak of the immortality of the soule to them which beleeve no such thing how shall wee perswade them to beleeve i Tertull. de Resurrect Carnis Fiducia Christianorum resurrectio mortuorum the rising again faith of Christians when by such yelling wee make them to beleeve that death is as horrible unto us as unto them for they heed not what we beleeve but what we doe And how shall we our selves contemne death if wee shew so great impatience when our friends die IV. Hearken then and learne how to weep for the dead doe yee consider death as it is k Rom 6.23 the wages of sin Weep Consider it also as it is through Christ l Ioh. 5.24 a passage to life and weep not Doe ye consider how your dear friend whom ye loved so tenderly is by death become so ugly and loathsome that ye are constrained with m Gen. 23.4 Abraham to bury him out of your sight lest he become suddenly a stinking carrion Weep CoÌ„sider also that through Christ his grave is made a Doctor unto him and weepe not Doth experieÌ„ce make you to say that by and by he shall bee dust and ashes Weepe But send for faith and it will tell you that though hee sleep now in the dust of the earth n Dan. 12.2 he shal awake to everlasting life according to the comfortable saying of Christ to Martha o Iohn 11 25 26 I am the resurrection and the life he that beleeveth in mee though he were dead yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and beleeveth in me shall never dye For in that blessed day of the resurrection of the righteous Christ p Phil. 3.21 shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Heer is the comfort of your faith The Pagans speaking of a dead man were wont to say q Scal. Castigat in Festum verbo AbitioneÌ„ FUIT He was because they were without hope for the time to come But your r Rom. 5 5. hope which maketh not ashamed teacheth you to say ERIT He shall be They said also m Tert. de testimonio animae adver Gent. c. 4. Abijt iam sed reverti debet Hee is gone but he will come again not shewing that they had any hope of the resurrection as Tertullian deemed but seeking Euphemisms fair words having a sense repugnaÌ„t to their mind to shew that they esteemed all dead men to be lost In that same sense they said VIXIT He did live and therefore they called him n Ibid. Cúm alicuius defuncti recordaris miselluÌ„ vocas cum miserable If yee consider your dead brother as departed out of this life because of sinne say He did live and weep but knowe ye not that o 1. Sam. 25.29 his soule is bound in the bundle of life with the Lord his God Therfore say VIVIT Hee liveth say Hee is blessed and weep not p Rev. 14 13 For blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Beleeve yee not that they are past from death to life Wherefore then weep ye Will ye bee injurious to our Lord Iesus Christ Will yee deny the vertue of his death Will ye forsake the merit thereof Knowe yee not that his death is to us which beleeve the death of our death and the life of our life Then weep not O but he was my loving husband she was my vertuous wife thou hast had some losse weep but thy losse is their gaine They are gone to the marriage-supper of the Sonne of God and it is written Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. These are the true sayings of God Therefore weep not Alas hee was mine onely sonne the heire of all my goods and now alas to whom shall I leave them
from the holy commandement delivered vnto them I will not compare the true Christian to a tree in the kingdome of Congo called by the Portugalians f Arbor tristis The sorrowfull tree because it neither buds nor blossomes nor brings forth fruit but in the night and in the day is without fruit flowers or leaues as if it were dead for the Christian is like vnto the Palme-tree which is greene both day and night though his godlinesse shineth more brightly like a Diamond in the night of his aduersitie then in the day of his prosperitie But well may I compare those painted Christians to the herbe called Heliotropium or Turnesol be cause it turneth with the Sunne both arising and going downe For so long as prosperous dayes shine vpon them they follow Christ who is t Mal. 4.2 the Sun of righteousnesse But if to put his children to a triall of their faith he hide himselfe for a little while in a darke night of persecution forthwith they turne their backes vnto him and forsake him Great and wailefull is their losse Neverthelesse the Church findeth in it a great gaine in weeping for them matter of ioy for her selfe For what are they but super fluous and vnprofitable u Ezech. 5.1.2 haire of the mystical body of Christ which he burnes with fire or scattereth in the wind when he taketh a rasour to trimme the head and the beard of his Church but x Ezech. 22.18 brasse tinne yron lead drosses which are euaporated vanish away in stincking pestilent smoak when y Mal. 3.3 the refiner and purifier of the sonnes of Levi taketh his gold and his siluer to melt and purge them in the furnace of triall but the scum which the Cauldron of the Church casteth out when it seeths and bubbles at the fire of persecution but a Psal 1.4 chaffe which the winde driueth away when the Lord taketh b Mat. 3.12 his fann◠in his hand a broome to sweepe and purge throughly his floare but c Ioh. 15.1 the fruitlesse branches of the true vine which the heavenly Vine-dresser takes away and casts into the fire of his indignation but d August in Epist Iohan. tract 3. Non de carne mea praecisi sunt sed pectus mihi premebant cum inessent c. ill humours which lay heavie vpon the stomacke of the Church but noisome and rotten deiections which shee avoyds into the iakes of the world when the Physician of the soule hath giuen her to drink a bitter potion in the cup of tribulation When such filthy excrements are euacuated she is not so grosse so swollen and puffed vp as she was but shee is more healthful Finally what are they but like vnto woodden legs or to a Creple-mans staffe which when he is cured of his disease he casteth away and not only looseth nothing of his owne but also receiueth a benefit and thankes God that they are not more behoouefull vnto him CHAP. V. 1 OVr first comfort in heaven is that wee shall be without sinne 2 The second that we shall be free from all miserie 3 The third that our faith and hope shall bee changed into the reall possession of the thing beleeved and hoped for 4 What shall bee then the blessednes of our soules 5 And of our bodies 6 Eternall life more fully described by seven circumstances 7 Then the wicked shall see the glory of Gods children who also shall see the torments of the wicked and praise God incessantly 8 Exhortation praier I. AS at the marriage e Ioh. 2.10 in Cana of Galilee all the wine was good but that which was given last was the best so all those comforts whereof I have spoken are most excellent but the last which God giveth to his children at the last day of their lives and which he shall fill to them in the unmeasurable bowles of his infinit mercies at the last day of the world surpasseth them all Our comfort and our blessednes is now that our sinnes are forgiven us our comfort our blessednes shall be then that we shall be without sinne f Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord they rest from their labours Their first their last their most continuall and toilsome labour is their sinne from it they rest And therfore the holy Apostle g Rom. 7 24 desired to die that his blessednes which consisted onely in forgivenesse of sinne by death might bee changed into the blessednesse of abolishment of sinne for then there shall bee no sinne because there shall bee no inticement no allurement to sin h Rev. 21 27 There shall in no wise enter into the holy City any thing that defileth Nothing is able to defile us but sinne and therefore to it wee shall say in that day Get thee hence stād without i Rev. 22 15 For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie What is sinne but a lie What is a sinner but a lover but a maker of lies But within are they of whom it is written k Esay 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous they shall inherit the land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified O Lord l Psalm 118.9 20 open to me the gates of righteousnes I will go into them and I wil praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter I wil praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation II. Our comfort and our blessednes is now that when m Rev. 17 4 the Whore of Babylon drinketh unto us in the cup of her abominations and fornications not the health but the death of our soules God strengtheneth us with n Esa 11.2 the spirit of might which maketh us to say to him o Psalm 73.27 28 Loe they that are farre from thee shall perish Thou hast destroied all them that goe awhoring from thee but it is good for mee to draw neer to God I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare al thy works Our comfort and our blessednes is now that when our enemies make us to drink great bowles of salt teares in stead of wine we drink stoutly and are not drunk and stagger not any way from our profession when they bait us they cannot abate us when they presse us they cannot oppresse us when they cut the thread of our mortall life vvee rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory because we know that God will knit and fasten our soules to the thread of immortalitie which his owne hands have spun Our comfort our blessednes will be then that p Rev. 21 4. God shal wipe away all teares from our eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more pain q Rem
beatitude deck with it three unknowne and needy wretches But when Cyrus shal dispoil him of his mountaines of gold when hee shall bee tied to the post when the wood shall be put on the fire when in the midst of a smoky flame he shall be made to his enemies a most pleasant spectacle of a pitifull Tragedy then he shall cry but too too late O Solon Solon Solon then he shall know how truly it is said l Iob 15 â—1 Let him not trust in vanitie which deceiveth him for vanitie shall be his recompense When the Emperour SEVERUS was on his death-bed what avayled the memorie of all his riches honors power delights but to make him upon the trebble string of his melancholick hart tune this dolefull Song m Spart in Seneio Hac omnia fui nihil expedit I have been all things and nothing availeth To returne to the Scriptures Did not n Eccles 2.3 Salomon acquaint himself with wisdome and with folly Did he not give himself to women and to wine Did hee not make great workes build Houses plant Vineyards Gardens Orchards gather silver and gold Made he not silver to be in Ierusalem as common as stones Saith he not that o ver 10 whatsoever his eyes desired he kept it not from them that he with-held not his heart from any ioy Was not that blessednesse Oh no! The Catastrophe the shutting up of all was p ver 11 Behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit He saith as Severus said There is no profit under the Sun V. Cannot Kings finde blessednesse in the pleasures riches power glory of a Kingdome and shall Courtiers who wade but in shallow water who dare not adventure to swim in the Ocean of royall pleasures who eat but the crums and leavings of their Master's Table call their life blessednesse Yea that will some of them I warrant you as being most like unto the Flie whereof it is written in the Apologues that preferring it self with much bragging and ostentation to the Ant who hath no dwelling-place but in the holes of the earth it said I am ever with the King at table I drink in his cup I eat of his best dainties I sleepe in his purple gown I kisse the Queen's face considerd not that it was but a troublesome worme which by and by should bee favoured with the cheer which the Emperour Domitian gave to the Flies of his Bed-chamber as the proverb saith To-day glad tomorrow dead Goe to Ahasuerus Court cast your eyes there upon the King's Minion Haman ye see him betimes in the morning waiting f Esth 6.4 at the outward Court of the King's house to present his sute against Mordecai aske of him wherein hee placeth his blessednesse g Esther 5.11 He shall make you a long Roll of the glory of his riches of the multitude of his children of all the things wherin the King hath promoted him above all the Princes servants of the Court of the Queene 's most speciall kindnes and favour unto him he will assure you that blessednes it self goeth to bed riseth with his Grace that nothing is wanting to make it up thorowly but the King's coÌ„mand to hang Mordecai which shall presently bee dispatched not thinking that the next day all his blessednes shall be hanged with him on the gallows which hee had prepared for Mordecai as if it had been written of him h Iob 8.14 15 Whose hope shall be cut off and whose trust shall be as a spiders web Hee shall leane upon his house but it shall not stand hee shall build it fast but it shall not endure VI. Goe to the rich men of the Land aske of them as Croesus did of Solon Who is the happiest man of the world They shall answer as Croesus thought Solon should have answered to him and if need bee fetch their answer out of the Scriptures Our blessednesse is that i Psa 144.12 our sonnes may be as plants growne up in their youth that our daughters may be as corner-stones polished after the similitude of a Palace that our Garners may be full affording all manner of store that our sheepe may bring foorth thousands and ten thousands in our streets that our oxen may bee strong to labour that there bee no breaking in nor going out that there be no complaining in our streets happy is that people that is in such a case After this maner did the rich man in the Gospel bless his soule saying k Luk. 12.19.20 Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many yeeres take thine ease eat drink and be merrie But God said unto him Thou fool this night thy soule shall bee required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast prepared Go to the Exchange goe to the shops goe to the ships go to all kinde of worldlings ye shall heare them all saying It is a good and blessed thing to dwell with goods They will deafe you with their continuall sighing and crying l Iob 31 24. Who will shew us anie good When their riches are increased yee shall see them setting up in the Temple of their hearts m Ezech. 8.3 the Idol of iealousie n Iob 31 24 making of gold their hope and saying to the fine gold thou art my confidence Say thou unto them that the holy man Iob though richer than they are thought it a most heinous crime to trust in riches that David a most rich King faith to al rich men in the name of God and with authoritie from heaven o Psal 62 10 If riches increase set not your heart upon them that the Apostle rendereth a most peremptorie reason of this exhortation taken from p 1. Tim. 6.10 the uncertainetie of riches that either wee must leave them by death as the rich man of whom I have spoken did or they will q Pro. 23.5 make themselves wings and flye away as an Eagle towards heaven and leave us ere we dye they will answer There is no such matter That Salomon the wisest of all men said most truely that r Eccles 10.19 money answereth all things that therefore s Demost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ete Opus opus sunt opes nam sine his nihil fit quod opus they must they must have money because without mony nothing that must bee done can bee done money must they have and in mony will they trust VII Goe I pray you to the Comedians to the houses of gaming of tippling and of joy goe to the Unthrifts and Ale-knights of the country demand in what schoole they have been brought up They will answer In the schoole of Epicurus with two royall fellows Sardanapalus and Heliogabalus where they have learned a short but most excelleÌ„t Compendium of Philosophie t 1. Cor. 15.32 Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we shall die whereof the words which Salomon speaks in the behalfe of