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
sinnes Is it not time to begin NOVV if ye have not begun till NOVV II. Behold l Luk. 22.48 Iudas betraying him with a kisse behold m Ioh. 18 12. the Officers binding him as if hee had beene a male factor behold them in the high Priests house n Luk. 22 63 64 65. mocking him smiting him blindfolding him and aftervvards striking him on the face asking him Who is it that smote thee behold them speaking manie other things blasphemously against him o Mat. 26.59.65 66. behold the chief Priests Elders and all the Councell seeking false vvitnesses against him behold them all vvith the high Priest pronouÌ„cing against him their award and last sentence He is guilty of death Novv harts burst Novv eies weepe NOW Christians if there bee any love of Christ if there be any bowels of compassion in you mourne and lament The Sonne of God was bound for you who were slaves that ye might bee set at libertie The Lord of glory was mockt for you who were the divells mocking stocke that ye might bee honoured of God who is your glory The light of the world was blind-folded for you who were darknesse that ye might bee enlightened The righteous was outrageously beaten for you who were unrighteous that ye might be spared The Innocent was condemned for you who were guilty that ye might be absolved Christ suffered all this for you and yet ye weepe not III. Follow him into the Iudgement-Hall Canst thou with an unbroken heart and dry eyes see him p Ioh. 19.1 2. scourged there and his flesh mangled and torne in pieces for thy sake Behold his naked head begirt with a crowne of sharpe thornes O let us us I say who professe to bee members of his body q Pudeat membrum deliciarisub capite spinis coronato O let us be ashamed to sport and to make merry under a head crowned with thornes IV. Goe to the Crosse heed the souldiers nayling to the unfruitfull tree his hands and his feete behold them giving him vineger mingled with gall to drinke in stead of wine consider how they stript him ere he die that hee may dye with more shame listen to all those that passe by and looke on him yee shall see them wagging their heads ye shal hear them reviling him and rayling on him most outrageously There he yeelded up the ghost there his side was pierst there he was made a woefull spectacle and the principall actor of a bloodie and pitifull Tragedy r Mat. 27 45 51. The Sunne could not looke on it it covered it selfe with a black mourning weede and was darkened but our faces shine as if wee had no cause of mourning The earth did quake but we tremble not The rockes rent our hearts are harder than flint stones yea than the most hard Diamonds and cannot be broken The graves were opened our throates alas are open Sepulchers breathing out all filthinesse and rotten words but our soules are graves sealed and shut to all good The dead rose againe we lye dead in trespasses and sinnes without any spirituall motion any feeling of the wrath of God which Christ in the passion of his death suffered for us For Å¿ 1. Pet. 2.24 his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his owne body on the tree There t Esa 53.5 he was wouÌ„ded for our transgressions there he was bruised for our iniquities there there the chastisement of our peace was upon him with his stripes which he received there wee are healed Hee whom the ignominious passion of Christ whom the shedding of his blood whom his cursed death will not wound with a pricking remorse and sting of sin he out of whose eyes the bruising and crushing of his body the sorrow and agony of his soule will not thrust a floud of teares shall never bee mooved by any other argument to mourne and to weep u Plin. hist nat l. 37. c. 4 I lla invicta vis duarum violentissimae naturae reruÌ„ ferri ignÃsque contemptrix hircino rumpitur sanguine The blood of a Hee-goat will beat in peeces the diamond which no heat of fire can melt no hammer of steele can breake What fire will melt what hammer will break our hearts of diamond if the blood of the Lamb of God will not doe it V. Iudas a Reprobate x Mat. 27 3 Iud is which had betraied him when hee saw that he was condemned repented and wept and wee who brag of our elation weep not The Centurion an ignorant Pagan when hee saw what was done when hee considered all the circumstances of his death glorified God saying y Luke 23 47 Certainly this was a righteous man wee that are called Christians wee that boast of the knowledge of God in Christ acknowledge not his righteousnes as wee should seeing wee weep not because hee z 1. Pet. 3 18 suffred for our unrighteousnesse a Luke 23 48 All the people that came together to that sight beholding the things which were done smote their breasts We know all the things that were done every day b Gal. 3.1 Christ is evidently set forth crucified among us by the preaching of the Gospell and yet none of us smiteth his breast c Ezech. 8.14 The idolatrous women of Ierusalem sate weeping for TAMMVS d Plut. de Iside Osiride called by the Greekes OSIRIS the false god of the Aegyptians whom Typhon slue and wee weep not for Iesus Christ who e 1 Iohn 5.20 is the true GOD and eternall life whom the Iewes slue f Plut de cessatione Oraculorum The Divells themselves which were in the Iles of Paxes did mourne at his death when Thamos the Pilot of the ship which was sayling by cried The great Pan is dead Who is the great Pan but hee who is all in all our Lord Iesus Christ The Divells mourned because g Heb. 2 14 through death hee destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Divell their master and them also we mourne not wee I say who were the causes of his death VI. It is written in the Revelat. that h Rev. 1.7 every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wayle because of him Why shall they wayle because of him because they pierced him O God! have we pierced him are wee guiltie of his death was it not Iudas which betrayed him was it not the Councell of the State of the Church which sent to take him was it not the high-priest which accused him was it not Pilate which condemned him were they not Pilat's souldiers which scourged crowned nailed stript and pearced him What ye ask is true But why did hee suffer mortall men to exercise such cruelties on his innocent person He stood there in our room and what wee deserved that hee suffered Our covetousnesse betrayed him Our anger laide hold on him and tied him Our
they which mourn shall be comforted III. Our comfort is our blessednesse and all blessednesse is of God to whose prayse we cry aloud with the holy Apostle f Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ So all our comforts are of God who g Isa 51.3 shall comfort Sion For he is h 2 Cor. 1.4 the God of all comfort who comforteth vs in all our tribulation He comforteth vs by his deare Sonne Iesus Christ who saith that the Lord hath sent him i Isa 61.2 to comfort all that mourn and as he came into the world for that end so he doth that wherefore he came as he said to his Disciples k Ioh. 14.18 I will not leaue you Orphanes that is comfortlesse I will come to you He cometh to vs by his Spirit who is the true Comforter For he ascended into heauen thence he l Tertull. de praescript cap. 11. Misit vicariam vim spiritus sancti qui credentes agat hath sent in stead of himselfe the power of the holy Spirit by whom the beleeuers are led according to his promise m Ioh. 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall giue you another comforter that he may abide with you for euer IV. Here is the certaintie of our comforts God hath promised that we shall be comforted n Heb. 10.23 He is faithfull that promised and o 1 Thes 5.24 also will do it He giueth not that charge to another His owne selfe doth it p Isa 46.10.11 My counsell sayth he shall stand and I will doe all my pleasure I haue spoken it I will also bring it to passe I haue purposed it I will also doe it Hee doth it by his owno Spirit As q Ioh. 3.8 the wind so the Spirit bloweth where it listeth If he will comfort vs who can grieue vs Men will doe what they can to make vs weepe But saith Christ r Ioh. 16.25 Your heart shall reioyce and your ioy no man taketh from you If we hold our eyes vpon our selues we see our own weaknesse and we know we may loose our ioy But Christ hath prayed that ſ Ioh. 17.13 wee may haue his ioy full filled in our selues And the Comforter himselfe abideth in vs who then shall take the fruits of our teares from vs O most precious pearles of your eyes O teares most acceptable to God! The French Virgin is not so curious to keepe the teares of the vine wherwith a Plin. l. 23. cap. 1. Cutem in facie mulierum purgant Ibid. Vitia cutis in facie varosque lentignes emendant she takes away the speckes and pimples and other spots of her face and hands keepeth their skin soft and faire As God is carefull to keepe the teares which trill from the spiritual branches ingraffed into Iesus Christ who b Ioh. 15.1 is the true Vine c Psal 56.8 Hee putteth them into his bottle Are they not in his Booke d Ctesias in Indicis When the teares distilling from the Indian tree called Siptachora fall into the riuer Hyparchus they are congealed there and turned into most excellent Amber So when our teares fall into the riuer of the mercies of God they become there a most precious iewell And as the Sunne drawing salt vapours out of the Sea vp into the aire turneth them into pleasāt showers of raine e Isa 55.10 which watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may giue seed to the sower and bread to the eater So f Mala. 4.2 the Sunne of righteousness our Lord Iesus Christ draweth vp to heauen our sighs our groans the salt vapours of our deuotion the bitter teares of our godly sorrow which we poure out before him and keepeth them in his bottles till being all gathered together hee powre them downe vpon vs againe in a mos sweet and well-come shower of all kinde of heauenly comforts which are our blessednesse both in this world and in the world to come V. Be not deceiued with the errour of Papists Imagine not that there is any merit in teares as that word is taken by Papists that in them there is any satisfaction as Papists speake of satisfaction that they wash out the blots of the soule which are our sinnes as water cleanseth and taketh away the spots of the body as Papists dare too boldly and ignorantly affirme they haue not in themselues any such efficacy neither hath God made vnto thē any such promise Nothing can satisfie the wrath of God but the death of the son God Nothing is of worth and value before his eyes to be rewarded with glory but the obedience of the Lord of glory No water can purge and take away sinnes g Ioh. 1.29 It is the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world VI. If ye aske who hath satisfied the wrath of God I answere with Isaiah Christ h Isa 53.5 was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities iquities the chastisement of our peace was vpō him with his stripes we are healed If ye aske again by what means by what deserts ye obtaine eternall life Christ himself answereth i Ioh. 14.6 I am the Way the Truth and the Life i.e. The true way to eternall life And the Apostle faith that k 1 Cor. 1.30.31 of God ye are in Christ Iesus who of God is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption That according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Finally if ye aske which is the riuer which is the poole wherein we are clensed of all our sinnes so perfectly that there remaineth no spot no blemish in vs The Disciple which lay in Christs bosome was priuie to all his secrets faith that l 1. Ioh. 1.7 the bloud of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God clenseth vs from all sinne He only is the riuer of Iordan wherein the leprosie of sin is cured m 2 Kings 5.14 The riuer Iordan in the land of Canaan did neuer clense any man of the leprosie of the body but Naamās the Syrian This Iordan of the heauenly Canaan clenseth perfectly all leprous sinners which wash and dippe themselues in it At n Ioh. 5.4 the poole of Bethesda he onely was made whole of his disease who first after the troubling of the water stepped in But when soeuer a sinner shal repent of his sinnes that he hath committed and cast himselfe into this vndraynable poole of the bloud of the sonne of God his sicknes shall be cured and his soule shal be healed Yee read in the Legendes that Constantine the great being leprous was councelled to wash in a bath made of the bloud of little children that he might be made cleane That bath was nothing else but the bloud
Thy losse is great weep his advantage is greater He is gone to his heavenly Father hee is now his heir Thou couldst give him but earthly goods those which hee enjoyeth are celestiall Thine are perishable death would have constrained him to leave them to another those which hee now possesseth are everlasting and are not subject unto losse If thy son were in credit with the King I thinke thou shouldst laugh and not weep hee is in credit with the King of kings and in great felicity in his presence and if hee could send thee tidings from heaven he would admonish thee to leave thy goods to thy poore kinsmen and according to the commandement of the Apostle q 1. Tim. 5.3 first to shew pietie at home and next to strangers that are needy Therefore weep not He was a godly man and well-away I am bereft of his godly and fruitfull conversation That affliction is great to thee weep but thy crosse is his crown And therfore if thou lovedst him as much as thou lovest thy self thou wouldest rather rejoyce for him than weep for thy self Weep for wicked men for they are with the divell yea saith r Ad pop Antioch hom 69. NaÌ„ si lugendum est diabolum oporteret lugero c. Chrysostom If ye would weep yee should weep for the divell himselfe Rather let the divell weep for himselfe because he is damned let wicked men weepe for theÌ„selves because they are tormented But let us rejoyce for good and godly men because they are with God and are saved VII This hath ever been the doctrine of the Christian Church which to withdraw those of the Gentiles that beleeved from mourning crying at funerals was accustomed to celebrate the funerals of Christians with singing of psalms Å¿ Chrysost ibid. hom 70. and the words which they sung were t Psalm 23.4 I will feare no evill for thou art with mee Item u Psalm 32.7 Thou art my hiding-place thou shalt preserve me from trouble as also x Psalm 116.7 Return unto thy rest O my soule for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee CoÌ„sider now and behold God calls death a benefit why then dost thou weep Thou wilt weep for the welfare of thine enemy because thou hat'st him wilt thou make thy friend his companion and weepe also for his weale The Apostle forbidding us to weepe as the Gentiles doe biddeth us y 1. Thes 4.18 comfort one another with these words of the resurrection If notwithstanding we weepe as the Gentiles doe I say that weeping when we should we weepe not as we should VIII I say the same of all those which when they are rebuked of sinne will weepe and yet leave not off to sinne The Scripture saith that a 1. King 21.25 26 27. there was none like unto Achab which did sell himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord. Yet when he heard the judgments of God denounced against him he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackecloth and went softly O how bitterly hee wept O how dolefully hee mourned To looke on him yee would have said This is a penitent man But immediately after b 1. Kin. 22.6.27 he giveth heede to false Prophets he casteth Micaiah the Prophet of the Lord in prison and surceaseth not from sinning till God kill him Doubtlesse Cain wept mourned when hee saide to God c Gen 4.13 My iniquitie is greater than I can beare Neverthelesse he did not forbeare to sinne but waxed worse and worse Such men saith d Greg. Pastoralis Curae 1. parte Flendo inanitâ—r se muÌ„dant qui vivendo se nequiter inquinant Gregory Wash themselves in vaine with teares because they beray themselves by their naughtie lives and practise that which is said in a Proverbe e 2. Pet. 2.22 The dogge is turned to his own vomit againe and the sow which was washed to her wallowing in the mire what is such weeping but increasing of sinne Thou weepest for sinne because thou knowest that it is an evill thing And yet thou goest backe unto it againe as if thou soughtest to shed teares to steepe in them the dirt of thy sinnes that as a sow thou maist wallow with full content in myrie water As when Balaam wished with sighing f Numb 23.10 Let me dy the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his yet after that hee sought to curse the righteous and gave a pernicious counsell to the King of Moab against them what did he but heape sinne upon sinne and aggravate his owne condemnation CHAP. X. 1. OF them that weepe not when they should weepe for their owne sinnes 2. Nor for the sins of other men 3. Nor for the afflictions of the Church I. BUt how alas how are they increased that weepe not How many see wee before our eyes every day benummed with a spirit of slumber who g Cypr. de Laps Quando debuerant stare iacuerunt quando iacere prosternere se Deo debent stare se opinantur when they should stand fall and when they should fall stand who when they should resist sinne and stand fast for their souls against the wiles of the divell fall into sinne and when they should fall on their faces with sad hearts and moist eyes before the throne of the mercy of God stand straight like Idols in Popish Churches are no more mooved than if they had done nothing amisse h Ibid. Ante admissum facinus improvidi post facinus obstinati nec prius stablles nec postmodum supplices neyther carefull to stand before they sinne nor to pray and weepe after they have sinned Ieremiah powred out his heart like water before the face of the Lord his teares did run downe like a river day and night he gave himselfe no rest the apples of his eyes ceased not to weepe for the ruine and destruction of the Temple builded with stones k Heb. 9.4 wherein was the Arke of the Covenant the golden Censor the golden pot that had Manna Aarons rod that budded and the Tables of the covenant l Chrysost ad Popul Antiochen homil 22. Si morientibus compaâ—imuâ— quis tam sine misericordia est qui animam suam morientem non deploret And they weepe not for their soules which are more holy and have dwelling in them the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost even the holy Trinitie They will weepe for a dead man though a fremme body if they know him And they are so desperate that they cannot weepe for the death of their best friend of the guest and companion of their body of their immortall soule which is dead in sinne m Rom. 8.22 Every creature groaneth and travelleth in paine together untill now for the vanity of man and man even hee that calleth himselfe a Christian man is a dullard and unsensible of his owne