Famine should come which is the very Engine of destruction and brings terrour to mortalls death to all things Are not we likely to he taken away with any of these and to have not our bodies onely but our soules in danger also and that of Gods wrath and everlasting displeasure Let us therefore seek to have our hearts mollified by this excellent meanes and for this end the better to move us let us consider of the blessings which God hath been pleased plentifully to poure downe upon this people as they did in the day of their humiliation Nehem. 9. of whom Nehemiah makes mention Let us likewise seriously recount how many mercies we have enjoyed and how much they have been abused how many afflictions we have felt and how little we have been betterd how many deliverances we have had and yet how carelesse nay how rebellious we have been notwithstanding them all Let us weigh with our selves what hurt our sins have done unto us how many good things they have turned from us and how many evills they have pull'd upon us and above all let us remember what a huge weight and multitude of miseries they have brought upon our Saviour namely debasement and humiliation exchange of the greatest glory for the greatest infamy sorrows and sufferings assaults and temptations the heavy burthen of our guiltinesse and the grievous punishment due for our deserts the rage and violence of most malicious men and the wrath and displeasure of the most righteous God torments of Body and terrours of soule and death it selfe a painefull death a shamefull death and a cursed death And because commonly sad spectacles call sorrow before it come let us look back againe upon that severe whip of Gods Justice the late Scourge of these three Lands and imagine you see your Children flame before your Eyes ones Head off anothers Arme a third crying unto you and the little one hanging upon you and then tell me if it be not hgh time to weep and mourne with them of Ziglag whose foules were grieved and they wept till they could weep no more every man for his Sons and for his Daughters 1 Sam. 30.4.6 But especially to lament for our sins of all things else most hurtfull to man undermining our soules and drawing destruction after them unsheathing Gods Sword and violently forcing him to his Armory to put on the Garments of vengeance as Isaiah speaketh And as thus the Caâ—tropes of our sins have hurried downe Gods Judgements upon us and have cryed to God for vengeance so now let our miseries cry unto him for mercy and let us implore Gods gracious power and that with an howling lamentation to stay his further threatned and justly merited punishments from any more displaying horrour throughout our Nation And for this purpose let us weep and sob and sigh and cry mightily unto the Lord our God And the more sorrow the better for us for such moysture will dissolve the clouds of our iniquities and the more showers of griefe fall from our Eyes and Hearts the cleerer and fairer will the wayes of our Hearts be for the feet of the Lord to walke in Let us then sollow the Apostles councell James 4.9 Suffer affliction sorrow and weep And if any thing keep us from this mourning away with it Let our laughter be turned into mourning and our joy into heavinesse for we cannot cast downe our selves so low but God will raise us up againe Seeing then sorrow is the onely Antidote and Soveraigne Remedy for all our poysonous Diseases let there be weeping and crying in every Towne in every Street in every House in every Chamber Cry unto the Lord. Obj. But perhaps some will say Is Godly griefe a Salve for all Soâ—es a Remedy for all Diseases Suppose Warre as lately it did should againe thunder in this Land Surely to weep and lament in the time of Warre is no signe of Manhood it rather argues that Men are faint-hearted want courage and fortitude so that this wringing and wayling is altogether unbeseeming the person of a Man of Valour let us therefore trust in God and be stout and of a good courage and never mourne for the matter Ans Doâ—h it argue want of Courage to lament for sinne It râ—ther argues want of Faith not to lament for sinne What doe you thinke of Jacob was he a Coward you cannot say so of him for the holy Ghost gives him this commendation That he had strength and courage not onely to prevayle against men but with the Angel of the Covenant Gen 32.28 And his conflict was he Wept and Prayed So that that which we thinke weaknesse the Scripture calls strength For by his strength he had power with God Hosea 12.2.4 What doe you thinke of David was he a Coward there is none I thinke will so disgrace that worthy and renowned Captaine of the Lord of Hosts And yet he himselfe in his Psalmes often makes mention of his Teares and sayes Psal 6.6 That he watered his couch with his teares And that his Eyes did gush out with Rivers of teares What will ye say to all Gods People of whom it is said Zach. 12.11 That they should mourne as they did for Josiah in the Valley of Hadadrimmon and as one mourneth for his First-borne the onely Heyre and hope of the Family Will you condemne all Gods people for a generation of Cowards nay this is so farre from bewraying any want of Courage that we may boldly say That when men are fullest of such Teares then are they fullest of Fortitude What shall we thinke of the Lord Jesus Christ had he no Heart was he destitute of Courage that could not possibly be And yet when he was to exercise the fulnesse of his Power to undertake such a worke as no creature durst attempt when he was to offer up himselfe to his Father as a Sacrifice for the fins of the World when he was to encounter the Lords wrath and his justice the Devill Death Hell and Damnation and all the Powers of Darkenesse that same time Heb. 5.7 he Wept and that abundantly And I hope none will say that then our Saviours strength fayled him notwithstanding his bitter Tears and Cryes Surely those that doe not weep when there is cause they are without Heart and utterly voyd of true Valour and subject to marvellous fears and violent distempers which arise from a base mind For what is the reason they are so afraid of Death but because they have not mourned for their sinnes and so removed the sting of Death which if they had done they would then triumph over Death and say with Saint Paul O Death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.55 their heartâ— would then stand fast as the strong mountains and not bâ— afraid of any evill tidings No not of the Pestilence thâ—â— walketh in the darke nor of the Plague that destroyeth 〈◊〉 noon-day Psal 91.6 Againe Since sorrow is our onely safety This makes
Ieremy onely but all Man-kind may Write lamentations So that Non finire sed semper reservare lachrymas debemus We had need never make an end of mourning never end our sorrows for Sin intermit them we may but stilâ— let us keep our acquaintance with them That of Hierome 〈◊〉 confesse is true Detestandae sunt illae lachrymae quae non habeâ—â— modum Mourning without measure is a Hell upon Earth Yet again Detestandi sunt qui carent lachrymis they are to be detested that have no measure of this heavenly Manna but happy were we if we could for ever continue our mourning for Sinne and for the abominations of the Land God hath already given us the cup of his wrath to drink off and we have tasted deeply of the cup of his displeasure we have seen affliction in the rod of indignation this Land hath presented us with sad spactacles whole heaps of slain O how should the remembrance of our late sufferings set open again the Fountains and Floodgates of sorrow that rivers of tears might flow from our pensive hearts And if the Lord shall again be incensed by reason of our sins which are as many and great as ever what can we expect but having already begun to taste of the bitter cup of his wrath and displeasure he will force us the next time to drink it down to the dregs But since that groans and sorrow for Sin is the onely way to appease Gods wrath being far better to deale with him by tears then by words and seeing there is no sorrow to that of the soule though the eyes of the body should wax blind with weeping Let us shower down rivers of tears let us plentifully water our cheeks with tears and sigh and sob and weep and howle and cry unto the Lord to spare us from the Sword and let this our lamentation and mourning be coram not clam not onely privately but openly especially upon our Fast dayes or dayes of Humiliation for as solemnity expects it so antiquity prescribes it the Assembly called must be solemne Call a solemne Assembly Obj. But perhaps some will say God expects not this inward and outward sorrow in his service this heart-breaking and body-fainting our eyes weeping and our souls languishing for God wills that we shew our selves glad and cheerfull when we serve him Aaron was sad for the death of his Sonnes and Moses reprehending him because he had not eaten that day of the Sacriifice he told him Levit. 10.19.20 Quomodo potui comedere aut placere Deo in ceremoniis mente lugubri How could I eat or please God in the ceremonies with a mourufull mind and the text saith that Moses rested satisfied The Starrs being called by their Creator to give their light they are said to doe it Cum judicate with delight or cheerfully When we serve the Lord we are bidden to serve him with alacrity Mat. 6.17 When we fast the Word bids us Anoynt our heads that we seem not to men to fast Unge Caput tunm But the fast here enjoyned and the Assembly called must be solemne How stands this together the Scripture bids us both be merry and mourn in the Service of God Ans The answer may well be this That all our felicity consisting in sorrow for sinne we may very well be merry to see our selves sad Green Wood being put upon the Fire both weeps and burns a deep Valley is cleare on the one side and cloudy on the other and mans breast is sad in one part and joyfull in another 〈…〉 7. 〈…〉 St. Paul specifies two sorts of sorrow one which grows from God the other from the World that gives life this death And furely that soule that sorrows for his Sins gives glory unto God It was commanded in Leviticus that they should celebrate with great solemnity a day of expiation 〈◊〉 23.27 c. Et affligetis animas vestras and ye shall afflict your soules It seems not to sound well that men should make a great Feast with afflicting their soules but for Gods Friend no Feast ought to be accounted so great as to offer unto him a sorrowfull and a contrite heart for as there is nothing more sad then Sin so is there nothing so cheerfull as to bewayle it All our dishonest actions are but carnests layd down for griefe for Vice is ever an infallible forerunner of wretchednesse and all our unwarrantable aberrations end at last either in anguish or confusion for Sin on the best condition brings but sorrow with it and for Sinne without sorrow is provided Hell Then down to your Knees and desire of God that he would give you a tast of the sweetnesse of tears and your soules once tasting the sweetnesse of tears will not leave them for a world for tears are the delight of a penitent and there is no true joy but in sorrow for Sin So that all our felicity consisting in sorrow for our sins we may very well be merry to see our selves sad and if our sorrow cannot move men to godlinesse yet it is forcible to move God to mercy The broken heart for griefe of sinne and love of righteousnesse however the world despise it the Lord will not despise it yea it is the sacrifice of God acceptable to him in Christ Jesus Therefore saith one August Lachrymae sunt cordis sanguis Tears are the hearts blood And Lachrymarum preces utiliores sunt quam sermonum The prayers of teares are far more profitable then those of words Saint Chrysostome sayes That our sins are set downe in the table-book of Gods memory but teares are the spunge which blot them out againe In a word those teares that slow from a broken heart are that salt brine that will eure your wounds cheere your souls ease your consciences and please your God they take away all raw humors and make us savoury meat for the Lord nay more they subdue the Invincible and binds the Omnipotent so St. Hierome Oratio Deum leuit lachryma cogit who would not then mourn for sin and grieve because they cannot grieve enough and be earnest with God in St. Augustins expression Domine da mihi gratiam lachrymarum Lord give me the grace of tears Then weep for your selves and weep for others weep for the sins of the times for the abominations of the Land and cry unto the Lord. The text I took up for your use of purpose in these sad times and God grant it may be as profitable unto you as I 'me sure its fit for these sorrowfull seasons and though I wish no end to your mourning yet having led you thus far sorrowing for your sins and the sins of the times let us look back a little upon the Fast enjoyned which having done I shall again take you by the hand and leade you into the house of mourning the place appointed the House of the Lord your God and so goe along by the banks of Babylon to
and anointing the wounds of the Apostles Witnesse Zacheus who of a pilling and powling Publican and a grinder of the faces of the poor presently became a mercifull refresher of their bowels Witnesse many others c. Every mans life is a Way wherein without intermission he walkes from the Wombe to the Grave Ab utero ad Sepulchrum ambulamus omnes and this is the way which Joshua calls the way of all flesh But in this way there is a great difference for some are upright in it and those are declared to be such as walk in the way of godlinesse to glorification Others turn aside after the crooked wayes of sin and those walk on unto perdition they goe singing and in a moment tumble into Hell Now the Lord our God that would not the death of a sinner calls all to Repentance whilest we not feeling those privy nips and perillous wounds that sin impaires our soules withall doe swim in the fullest delights that invention can procure us and our souls cleaving to the midst of our mirth our way but beguyles us and for not minding our Voyage in stead of arriving at our wished for Haven we are suckt into the gulfe ere ever we are aw re so that we had need labour for a Reformation by the wholesome Information of the Word and Christs Schoole being a Schoole for all sorts we had need all become Schollars in the Schoole of Christ both young and old and old as well as young First young men for the age of youth is indeed the age of right reformation Bend a tree while it is but a twig and it will ply which way you will have it but let it alone untill it be a sturdy Oke there is then no dealing with it Even so settle the soule once upon the lees of sinfull lust and custome in sinning proves another nature and in the end becomes inflexible incorrigible Let a man through his youth set his face against Heaven and blaspheme Gods Religion it shall be as easie for the Blackamoore to change his hue or the Leopard his spots as for that man that hath been alwayes accustomed to evill ever to learn to doe well I doe not say impâ—ssible for I know that it is the easiest thing in the world with God to enrich a sinner with his grace and therefore we dispute not his power nor his mercy Not his power for God can in an instant make of a sinner a Saint Not his mercy for Gods mercy knows no bounds nor limits But it is not easie for that sinner that hath been alwayes accustomed to doe evill ever to learn to doe well for you know the curse is commonly passed out against those who have been so long fruitlesse Mat. 21.19 Never fruit grow on thee henceforth neither in this World nor in the World to come reape they shall bring forth they shall not but they shall reape the fruit of Judgement the fruit of punishment other fruit they shall never bring forth dead Trees cut off from the land of the living dead Branches cut off from the Tree of Life And indeed what can that ground expect that brings forth nothing but thorns and bryars Heb. 6.8 but that the end of it should be to be burned So that though ye rejoyce in your youth O ye young men yet remember you must come to Judgement And sure it is but an evill and wofull division when young years are given to Sathan and old age to the Lord. It s the first fruits that God requires And you may find Saint John writing to Young men as well as to Elders 1 Iohn 2.12 13. to Children as well as to Fathers And Solomon adviseth the young man Eccles 12.1 To remember his Creator in the dayes of his youth And David Psal 119 9 to redresse his wayes For indeed the age of youth is the very Harvest and Summer in which whosoever sleepeth is the son of confusion but he that gathereth is the child of wisedome Pro. 10.5 It is with grace as it is with grafts there must be a time of in-setting and a time of out-growing and both these must be seasonable before fruit can be expected so that seed must be sown in youth which must come up in age For nip a blossome in the Spring and where is the hope of its Autumne And indeed where Sathan can make youth unprofitable little good nay much spirituall beggery may be expected in all the other ages of that mans life Again Call thy wayes to remembrance while thou art young that thy Conscience may be at peace when thou art aged for assure thy selfe that the vanitles of youth will vex the heart for many yeares after Psal 25.7 See David Praying against the sins of his youth and not without a bitter sense and sting of them Psal 25.7 Ieâ— 13.16 It was the voyce of Ephraim I was ashamed yea confounded because I did beare the roproach of my youth for though for the present a man may be sencelesse of his grossest sins yet God will waken his Conscience at last and make the very thought of his iniquities as bitter as ever the practice of them was pleasant the thought of them will fill him with trouble of Conscience and bring him not onely to doubt of his effectuall calling to Grace but almost to a despaire of his salvation And if he would be fenced against all these afterclaps the time is now wherein he may prevent such afflictions by bearing Gods yoke in his youth Now is the time wherein he should take notice of that great bundle of folly which is naturally bound up in his heart But alas No age so much stops its eares as this age of youth charme the charmer never so wisely For whereas young men should live as Nazarites consecrated to the Lord they rather live like men that have vowed and dedicated themselves to the service of Sathan loathing or seorning to become Schollars in the Schoole of Christ which indeed is most effectuall to cure the disordered affections of youth But those that would be Trees of Righteousnesse and known to be of the Lords own Planting laden especially in their age with the fruits of the Spirit must in their youth timely bud timely blossome and timely beare that so their whole lives may be a fruitfull course whereby God may be glorified others edified and themselves receive in the end a more full consolation Secondly as young men so old as well as young must be Schollars in the Schoole of Christ for though its true that the age of youth of all ages is most subject to the dangerous diseases of inordinate lusts yet there is no age without its blemishes not the hoary haire without its errors David so often as he considered his wayes found alwayes something that needed redresse and there is none so well renewed in this life but they may find somthing in themselves that needs further reformation Who can say